A Kingdom of Miracles
by Kryzanna
Summary: When the kingdom of Teiko fell, its legendary Five Commanders scattered to serve new, stronger lands; undefeated and thirsting for power. Seirin is a small kingdom readying for war with the hope of saving its impoverished people. But their enemies are many and the Five will not bow easily. Can a fierce swordsman and a mysterious rogue change the fate of Seirin? Will contain Yaoi
1. And so it begins

**A dear friend of mine doesn't take Kuroko no Basuke seriously because 'it's about Basketball'. So...I decided to write a fanfiction with a similar general plot... but instead of teams playing basketball... they serve as soldiers in different armies. Some of them seek power, some of them seek glory, and some of them seek to unite as a nation to fight for their people. **

**_**May contain spoilers as it progresses, since it's based on the same plot**_**** [But not in the first few chapters]**

**Warning: may contain violence, foul language, and possibly yaoi, depending on how I'm feeling. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Kuroko no Basuke or it's characters**

* * *

**:: ****_Prologue ::_**

* * *

Teiko was the Kingdom of Miracles, they said. It was a beautiful kingdom of plenty, in the centre of the expansive land of Basquet. Its rivers ran rich with gold, the stories said. Its fields were the most beautiful and fertile in all the known world. Its people wanted for nothing, while those not of Teiko were exiled into the wild unknown.

But the land and the kingdom had not come cheap. Back then, it had been simply known as the Centre of the World; a huge area of land where life and beauty was found in all things. It was unclaimed and untouched –pure…and ripe for the taking. However, the rest of Basquet ran wild; overgrown in parts and barren in others, so many kings of many kingdoms sought to rule this sanctuary amidst the chaos.

And so, all of Basquet was ravaged with war, time and time again, as kings fought amongst themselves to determine who would claim the great lands that lay beyond the barrens –far from the sea. Teiko, even back then, was a powerful kingdom with numbers enough to lay waste to the other lords who sought to journey for the centre of the world. But it was not until the rise of the Five that that sought after land finally took a king.

The Five began as mere men; mere children, rather, fighting under the banner of a nameless king, who had risen from the dust of lesser kingdoms to claim the miracle land. But as the war dragged on, it became apparent that their capabilities were far beyond that of any other. With their might, that nameless king cast aside all opposition, and set his throne upon the centre of the world; taking the haven as his kingdom and calling it Teiko.

Those five men became known as the Commanders of Miracles, and with their strength, the nameless king of Teiko reigned supreme. No other army could match their strength, and any attempts to take the land by force were easily turned aside. Beggar kings and peasant lords were forced back into the wild; into harsh lands, their armies and people utterly defeated.

Despite this, the promise of such riches and hope for a safer, better life, urged challengers onwards. The vitality of the Centre was the stuff of legends; known as a place where dreams met reality; and because it was ruled by such a king, and claimed by such an army, Teiko earned its name as the Kingdom of Miracles.

But the king mysteriously died long before his time and his army and land became leaderless and strewn with civil war as conflict ignited between the Five. The power of Teiko's army had spanned generations, and for eight years it held the Centre of the World. But, with the death of its last king, and no successor, the entire kingdom dissolved into chaos and anarchy.

Its strength, however, remained legendary, and the Five Commanders of Miracles deserted the land that they had once fought so valiantly for and sought new kings to serve; kingdoms who they perceived had the potential to rise up over all others and once again take the blessed Centre.

For what they desired above all else was victory.

But there was rumoured to be another; a Sixth Commander. The Shadow, they called him.

It was said that he left before Teiko fell; ventured out into the wild, unable to bear his brothers turning upon each other. And while they spread out across the wilds of Basquet in search of kingdoms worthy of their strength, the world crept back into war.

Three years passed after the Fall. Three years went by so quickly, with the Centre returning to its kingless state; a coveted prize sought after by all. There were so many kingdoms of Basquet; so many armies, and so often small ones were destroyed even before word got out that a new king had risen. Large armies tore through small lands, razing them and ruining the people.

But there were still kingdoms out there –kingdoms of rags and dust, with warriors who served with fire in their hearts; they were those who had been defeated but not destroyed; those who swore to lead their people away from poverty and prove that Teiko was not the only Kingdom of Miracles.

Seirin was one such kingdom.

* * *

**:: And so it begins ::**

* * *

"Our days in the dust are over!" Izuki Shun called out into the city square, "Enlist in the Seirin army and march with us to claim the Centre!" His shoulders slumped uselessly as he was promptly ignored by all those swarming around him. He tugged on his tattered jerkin and tried to look a little more impressive, which proved to be a difficult feat when everyone around him was dressed almost as raggedly as himself. Clearing his throat, he tried again.

"We've lived as exiles of the Kingdom of Ashes for long enough!" he shouted out, "Join us as we…" He trailed off as he was jostled roughly by strangers as they continued with their everyday business. Suddenly stumbling on the uneven dirt ground, he plummeted into the dust and had to leap quickly to his bare feet before he was trampled by a creaky wagon being pulled along by a malnourished horse.

"Izuki, you okay?" Izuki's comrade, Koganei Shinji inquired, having seen the near miss. Izuki nodded with a heavy sigh. Now he was all dirty again. And he'd gone to such an effort to make sure his uniform –or the rags that could barely be called a uniform –looked official enough to go about recruiting new soldiers.

"Had any luck?" he inquired of Koganei. The cat-like soldier shook his head with a heavy sigh, "Well, I'll head down to the city walls and see if I can find any interest. Hopefully the Captain has had more luck than us."

"Yeah…hopefully," Koganei sighed, though he didn't sound all that sure. Izuki nodded at him and continued down through the messy streets of the tattered capital of Seirin. Everywhere he looked, the buildings were falling into disrepair. Men, women and children alike were clad in faded dregs of clothing; mostly headed out into the harsh farmland that lay in all directions beyond the capital.

Life was hard in Seirin: Kingdom of Ashes.

Seirin was a land home to those swept into poverty during Teiko's wars and the conflict during the fall. It was situated on a harsh plain, where cultivation was difficult and dangerous. Hot, raging geysers riddled the earth, and in the distance rested extinct volcanoes where it was still dangerous to walk. The wasteland to the north was considered part of Seirin's territory, but it was dangerous –filled with terrifying beasts and outsiders. Some tried to cross it –to reach the northern sea, and sail for more hospitable lands. No one came back, so no one knew if there even lay a place beyond.

In the last three years, Seirin had been steadily trying to gain power; its king trying to turn poor farmers into warriors in an attempt to launch a campaign on the Centre. These barrens were no place for habitation, and he desperately wanted to lead his people to salvation. But they had suffered a heavy loss in their last attempt and their crumbling army was forced to return to the impoverished land of Ashes.

But, hope still remained in the hearts of those who had fought in their last war –and Izuki was one of them. Their Captain –still young and still a rookie at war –truly believed that their time was coming; that someday soon, they could march from the wasteland and fight for their people's right to a safe life away from hunger, despair and an invisible existence.

For that, though, they needed military might, and after their last defeat, the people of Seirin were reluctant to join their cause. Hyuga Junpei was a good leader, and their Battlemaster, Riko, was a fierce and terrifying woman –but they needed more than that. They needed a champion who could stand as a pillar of strength for the people to rally behind.

And as Izuki scanned the streets, calling out to man and woman alike to enlist, he wondered if such a person existed in this poor land.

* * *

Night was rolling in, and with the growing darkness came a bitter, cold wind that swept across the plains. Hyuga Junpei, the Captain of Seirin's army, clutched his thin blanket around his shoulders a little tighter as he and Aida Riko sat upon the stage in the city square, watching the small numbers of their new recruits drizzle off towards the barracks, on the outskirt of the city. They had managed to increase their numbers slightly, today, but there was always tomorrow, and the next. Riko intended to continue training very, very shortly. There was no time to waste. The capital and all other cities in Seirin were falling into ruin. This land could not support their people for much longer. Things had to change.

"What do you think so far?" Hyuga inquired curiously, nodding to where the last of the recruits disappeared down one of the dusty streets towards their new quarters, "Do we stand a chance?"

"We will," Riko assured him sternly, "This campaign will not be the same as our last." He nodded approvingly, and then the pair of them sighed together, "…But…all the same…strong farm boys are one thing…but really, what we need…"

"I know," Hyuga muttered, "We've been fighting off beasts all our lives –but the real monsters lie beyond these borders, and if we want to stand a chance…" They both shivered again in the cold wind, Hyuga removing his blanket and offering it to her. The days were unbearably hot, and the nights miserably cold. He could hear people in the houses all around trying to block up windows and jam shut creaking doors to keep out the chill breeze. The only source of heat in the square was a dying fire, the embers burning low in the ash.

All of a sudden, an icy wind blasted through the streets, and the fire flared back into life.

And in those red flames, they saw him approach.

In the dim light, he seemed huge; his skin tanned from the sun and his eyes as red as the flames that suddenly grew high in the night. He was dressed in black; his shirt hanging baggy and open collar revealing the dark leather jerkin beneath. Every step he took seemed to echo through the night, and he said nothing.

When he reached the dais that Hyuga and Riko sat upon, he flung to the ground, the figure that he had been dragging along behind him.

"Koganei?" Hyuga queried in disbelief. The brunette looked up from the dirt and immediately scampered to his feet; backing away from the broad, red-haired giant.

"Is this where I enlist?" he inquired in a bold, deep voice. Hyuga and Riko just stared at him for a long moment –unable to believe their eyes. He was a few inches over six feet tall; his hair a deep blood-red and a silver ring hanging on a chain around his neck.

"Y-Yes," Riko stammered; shocked at her own response and inability to stop her voice from shaking slightly. His expression, and the ferocity in his crimson eyes…it was like staring down a wild beast. "Who are you? And what armies have you fought in?" He didn't look like he was native to Seirin –barely looked native to Basquet at all; she'd never seen anyone quite like him before.

Before answering, he stared them down, and Hyuga felt distinctly like he was being sized up. It was not a feeling he liked in the slightest. He sniffed the air suspiciously, before shrugging.

"Hmm…I suppose war is the same no matter which land or which king I fight for…" he mused, almost to himself, before his face broke out into a strong, determined smirk.

"It's Kagami Taiga, by the way. I haven't fought in any army in this land."

"Kagami Taiga," Riko repeated quietly, and felt a shiver run down her spine as she looked upon him. "If you follow Koganei, he will show you to the barracks, and training will begin in a few days –"

"I'll find my own lodgings for tonight," the stranger –Kagami –assured her thickly, and that was all he said on the matter. He nodded to them once, and turned to leave –Koganei stepping out of his way in slight awe. It was then that the three of them finally caught sight of something strapped to his back.

It was a sword; a huge, long broadsword.

"I look forward to fighting with you," he remarked in a voice dripping with excitement, and with that, casually stalked off into the darkness of the side-streets, the fire in the square dying as he departed.

"Did you see that?" Riko breathed; a hand pressed to her mouth as Hyuga fished around for the book filled with the names of new recruits to write these new details in, "That sword…"

"It was huge," Koganei agreed.

"Where does a monster like that come from?" she whispered, unable to keep herself from staring into the dark after him, though he had vanished from sight, "It's not possible that he's from this kingdom…"

"Where else could he have come from?" Hyuga frowned, squinting at the ledger in his lap and looking over at the Battlemaster in confusion, "Riko…did you write this name?" He held out the book and pointed out a small name written in a handwriting that belonged to neither of them. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"_Kuroko Tetsuya_," she read aloud in confusion, "No, I didn't write that –I don't even think I've ever heard of that name before…" Suddenly, her eyes widened in astonishment as she looked across the page to the column where she and Hyuga wrote the armies that the recruits had fought in. Since Basquet had been ravaged by war for generations upon generations, it wasn't uncommon for people their age to have fought in multiple armies as kingdoms rose and fell. One of their high-ranking soldiers, Mitobe Rinnosuke, in his twenty-seven years of life, had fought in five different armies.

But in line with the name 'Kuroko Tetsuya', in that same handwriting, was written the name of only one kingdom.

_Teiko_.

"This man…" Riko breathed, "He fought in the Teiko army? He fought in the name of the Kingdom of Miracles?" She frowned in concentration; trying to think back to the men she had seen today. None of them stood out –none of them seemed as though they had been a part of the most powerful army Basquet had ever seen. She didn't even recognise the name! Strange; she'd never come across someone from Teiko before... Shaking her head, she sighed uselessly. Well, when the call went out for training to begin, he was bound to stand out. It was a mystery though, how he had managed to wind up with his name in the ledger –it was always in her possession, or Hyuga's.

"What's the problem, Koganei?" Hyuga suddenly asked when he saw that his subordinate was looking lost in thought; still staring after the red-haired swordsman.

"How could he have never fought in an army?" Koganei replied incredulously, "Did you see the size of him? And that sword –no farmer would be able to wield that thing!"

"Maybe he's a mercenary?" Hyuga suggested.

" –He didn't ask for money," Riko shook her head. And if he was a mercenary, then why would he be in Seirin, of all kingdoms? She was relatively sure that their land was the poorest –at least of those lands west of the Centre. Surely if he was a sell-sword he would have gone for one of the kingdoms to the south –away from the wastelands. There were three rich, renowned Kings warring amongst themselves further southwards; not bothered by the small Kingdom of Ashes. A mercenary would have enlisted in one of those armies, where they could be paid handsomely.

In any case, what was such a monster doing so far to the north? With such an ominous aura, she was surprised that no other army had snatched him up in his travels north. Unless…

"…You don't think…" Koganei whispered –having come to the same conclusion as her. "…That he came from across the Wasteland?"

"Impossible," Riko scoffed, "No one survives the Wasteland. And even if they did –all that lies beyond it is the sea."

"He said he hadn't fought in any army of this land," Hyuga pointed out suddenly, "…I think…" He frowned to himself, "I think it's possible, that he's fought before...but across the sea." They sat in stunned silence for a long moment; shocked by this possibility, that really seemed the most likely scenario.

_A monster from across the sea, and a man who fought in the fabled Teiko army_, Riko mused to herself. Perhaps this campaign really would prove to be their chance to save their people.

* * *

**I really hope you liked this; I loved writing this so much and I can't wait to keep going. Review, follow -there'll be updates coming along. Even if you don't make it past this chapter, thank you for reading! This is different from the rest of my fanfics, so it's rather exciting. **

**Hope I've piqued your interest!**

**Much love, hope you keep reading!  
xx K**


	2. Unremarkable

**This is how I most love to write. And I'm just too excited about getting this fic going that I had to update again.  
There ****_will_**** be yaoi pairings later in this story, just saying.  
Also, few characters will use honorifics, and only because that is a part of their character traits in ****_Kuroko no Basuke_****. **

_**Ages: (in general)  
**_**First years: 26  
Second years: 27  
Third years: 28**

* * *

The sun was rising high over the plains of Seirin, cruelly smothering all those out in the dry fields. Those who were farming were sweating in their torn clothing, labouring away to reap what little they could in such barren lands. The rivers ran low but still the city children carried buckets to and from the city; lugging precious water back from drying up wells. Any unable to afford shoes wore scraps of cloth to bind their feet and protect them from being blistered on the hot soil.

But, in the plains beyond the city boundaries, there lay those undergoing work far more strenuous than that of a farmer. Out there, in the unforgiving heat, Aida Riko was assessing the troops.

"What do you think of them?" Hyuga inquired of her as the pair of them wandered through the new recruits. Early this morning, before dawn had properly broken, she had divided them into quadrants and assigned them simple drills to complete in rotations. Gifted with a keen eye for identifying talent and physical attributes, it was her first task to sort the new troops into their divisions, where they could not only become familiar with all aspects of battle, but hone skills most suited to them.

"It's a good start," she admitted, her brow furrowing as she surveyed the next group of troops currently handling wooden swords as best they could, trading sloppy blows. Swordplay definitely did not come natural to them. She could tell from the grip of their hands and from their stance that all of these ones were hunters by trade. "All of you here will be training under Captain Hyuga. You'll be joining the ranks of his archers." Thankfully, they pulled up their swords and glanced across at the Captain for instruction.

" –Did I tell you to stop?" she inquired in a sweet voice that could fill a man's heart with dread. Riko was still young; twenty-seven years old, and had a kind face, but there was something dangerous about her voice and her very presence that demanded complete and utter obedience. Some men were taken aback that the Battlemaster was a woman, and thought she wasn't up to the task.

She always ensured that they were thoroughly informed that this was not the case. If a man could train soldiers, then why not a woman?

"You think only being able to shoot an arrow is going to keep you alive?" The question was rhetorical, and none of them dared answer back –quickly returning to their shoddy swordplay.

"How are the others?" she asked Hyuga in a low tone as they moved along to the next group.

"The same," Hyuga replied, nodding into the distance. Riko nodded approvingly; able to see dark blurs against the horizon where the main force of the army would be busy in training. They had been there since before first light, and would linger there long after dark. There, the soldiers would run for hours; they would carry rocks to increase their strength; they would spar each other will all manner of weapons, and practice their shooting. Riko was not easy on her troops. But she was serious about this campaign, and was not willing to fail once more.

Already, she had witnessed recruits leaving –returning to the city. She had told them if they were not committed to shed sweat, tears and blood for their kingdom, then they were not wanted. It did not matter if they were currently weak. What mattered was a weak man's dedication to becoming strong. But she allowed herself hope when she saw that more men were persevering than breaking, and smiled. The Kingdom of Ashes didn't have a lot, but it sure had heart.

Suddenly, as she moved along once more; almost having completed her assessment, three men landed in a heap at her feet –swords clattering uselessly into the dust.

"C-Chief," they stammered in shock, rolling away from her to quickly regain their feet –hurriedly returning to their group. Within moments, they were back on the ground –one of them coughing up a mouthful of blood and another of them severely winded.

Riko knew she shouldn't have been surprised, but she couldn't stop her eyes from widening as she glanced across at the man who appeared to be their opponent. Cricking his neck and swinging his wooden sword as though it was a toy, he rounded on another trio of his group; swiftly blocking their nervous attacks and batting away their weapons with one swift blow. One of the training swords split completely in two from the force of his stroke.

_Kagami Taiga. _The man from across the sea.

This wasn't normal, Riko told herself as she stared at him; drinking in the thick, sculpted muscles of his back and shoulders and the obvious strength in his limbs. At a glance, she could tell that he was holding back –whether out of mockery or concern for his opponents, she didn't know. Like the rest of them, his skin was glistening with sweat, but he didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, as he turned to face her –his opponents defeated –she could tell without question that he relished it.

And as he looked down on her, she could see it –something in his eyes –something burning bright there. It made her both excited and afraid. Those eyes confirmed what she had gathered from inspecting his body. He was a weapon –a raw, untamed weapon with a heart that would not be easily crushed. She could tell that he had potential far beyond what her eyes could see. But, would he a make a good soldier? Because a powerful brute was one thing, and a trained soldier quite another.

* * *

When the sun began its descent, she met up her officers. They were exhausted and drenched in sweat, but Riko knew that they wouldn't return to the barracks for a good few more hours. The determination that, with defeat, had fallen to embers in their eyes, was back with a passion –just like in the early days of their first campaign. It was good to see that already, that fire was waking.

Quickly, she briefed them on their training regimes. She could see Koganei and Izuki cringing subtly, and even Hyuga let out a soft wince of resignation. But none of them protested, because they knew by now that that would just result in her doubling, or tripling their day's training.

" –Hyuga," she suddenly remarked as he made to run back with the other officers to the main troops to continue his shooting session, "You haven't, by any chance, run into that Kuroko Tetsuya?" Hyuga frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"No, I haven't," he replied, "I've been keeping a lookout, since we don't know who he is, but –"

"Excuse me, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya," a small, soft voice suddenly remarked from right beside the pair of them. Two sets of eyes turned to stare in the direction of the voice, only to discover that there was now a short person standing where they could've sworn on their lives, not two seconds ago, there had been nothing but dirt and stones.

"Where did you come from?" Riko exclaimed shrilly in astonishment –unable to choke down the shriek in her words. The newcomer just blinked back at her as though not understanding the question.

"I was here the whole time," he replied, "I was waiting for you to finish your meeting so I could ask who –"

" –You were here that entire time?" she gasped, unable to believe it. He was joking, right? There was no way he had been standing right next to her, and none of them had even noticed until he'd spoken? She, herself wasn't a swordsman, and so didn't have the senses of one, but she was horrified and a little embarrassed that she had been taken by surprise so easily.

"Yes," he answered; his manner of speaking somewhat formal and polite, "You never assigned me an officer to report to." Riko just stared at him for a long moment.

"You said your name was Kuroko Tetsuya?"

"Indeed," he replied shortly, "Nice to meet you, Chief." A sidelong glance at Hyuga informed Riko that he was just as astonished by this young man's arrival. And he _was_ a warrior, so should really not have been snuck up on like this…

"How old are you?" she inquired, squinting a little.

"Twenty-six."

The Battlemaster took a step backwards and looked the young man up and down. He was clad in drab, pale clothing that was in surprisingly good condition considering the kingdom he was in. He seemed short for his age, and his physique seemed sorely underdeveloped for a man who had apparently fought in the Teiko army. He lacked the strength she associated with a swordsman, but didn't have the posture of an archer. He didn't have the build for a pike wall or the hands of a siege mechanic.

In terms of physical ability; there was absolutely nothing remarkable about him.

"You…you fought in Teiko?" she asked incredulously.

"I did," Kuroko replied simply.

" –The back ranks?" she asked.

"No, on the front lines," he corrected, and he spoke with such blunt affirmation that she believed him, despite the absurdity of a runt like him having survived the front lines. Who had trained him? Surely, if he was in Teiko fighting on the front lines, he would have been under the command of one of the Five!

"Who was your commander?" she asked, almost nervously. He met her gaze evenly.

"I was a commander." There was no boast and no lie to his words, yet Riko's mouth fell open in shock and disbelief. He, apparently not unused to this reaction, just stood there politely until she had finished gawking in a most unprofessional kind of way. Hyuga had let out a rather loud snort of shock and was currently trying to recover from it.

_This small man…was a commander of Teiko_? Riko pondered to herself. With a form like that? Could she have been mistaken? Quickly, she looked him over once more and confirmed what she had already assumed.

He was completely average. Below average, if she was being honest with herself.

Appearance-wise, however, he was unusual; which really made it all the more puzzling why she had failed to notice his presence. His hair was so pale it was tinged with blue –the colour of the sky on a bright day, and his skin so fair that she was surprised he wasn't burnt to blisters in the sun. But by far his most distinguishing feature was his eyes.

It wasn't just the colour; a startling electric blue that she had never seen before –certainly not in Seirin. There was something hard about his gaze; something sharp, secret and calculating, but yet, tainted with the look of someone who has seen and lost too much. If she had doubted his involvement in an army based on his stature, she found herself corrected by that look.

"Return to your group," she commanded, "I will assign you a reporting officer when today's trial training is over." He nodded once, and she made sure to keep her eyes trained on him as he headed back to his group. She was startled to discover that he had been amongst those facing off against Kagami.

How could she have missed him then?

Though his appearance had proved disappointing, she refused to let her hopes fall. Men were full of surprises. She had, in all honesty, been hoping for a second Kagami; a brute with the might that came only from years of battle.

Kuroko Tetsuya was not that.

In fact, he was nothing like that. As she watched him, her hopes sank. He may have struggled with even being a stable-boy or a squire, let alone a _commander_ of the Kingdom of Miracles. His basic swordplay was below average at best. He was quick on his feet, but that hardly made him a warrior. There was no chance that he was one of the Five; not that she'd held much hope for that at all.

Riko didn't allow herself to remain crestfallen for very long. With every day that passed, the people of this kingdom fell deeper into poverty. Their crops were failing; their trickling rivers running dry. Salvation lay in the Centre. A _home_ lay in the Centre, and it could be won only with military might. And she intended her troops to succeed.

It didn't matter if this strange man, Kuroko, wasn't the warrior she had expected him to be –if he would fight for them, then that was good enough. They needed all the help they could get, if they were going to survive this next war.

* * *

Kagami Taiga shivered to himself as he staggered back into the city walls and headed for the barracks. Night had come so fast in this foreign land, and though the heat didn't bother him, he was unused to the cold. The sweat he had accumulated through the day was like ice upon his skin and he almost regretted staying out past the other troops.

Almost.

He grinned to himself despite his aching limbs. Sure, he had only fought against his opponents with a twig today, but even that had filled him with vigour. It felt like it had been too long since he stood face to face with another man and fought him head on. The beasts of the Wasteland were a challenge, but there was nothing quite like crossing blades with a powerful foe.

He was just burning with anticipation.

"Kagami-kun," a voice remarked suddenly from the lengthening shadows of the empty yard outside the barracks, and to his embarrassment, he practically leapt out of his skin. Eyes glowering angrily, he swung his head around to discover that standing against a nearby wall, wrapped in a grey blanket, was a small young man with bright blue eyes. Where had he come from? Surely there hadn't been someone there a moment ago…

"Who are you?" Kagami inquired in a growl.

"Kuroko Tetsuya," he introduced himself politely, "We fought in the same group today."

"Did we?" he queried in response, cocking his head and gazing at the pale young man, intrigued but unable to shake a nagging sense of unease. He sniffed the air tentatively, and his eyes narrowed when he detected nothing. Despite his words, he remembered seeing the other man fighting, and remembered being appalled at his lack of ability.

There was a long silence. The cold wind kissed the dying torches that lit the ill-kept training ring in the yard. Up in the barracks, if they cared to look, they would see the soft flickering of candlelight from behind closed shutters –probably from their comrades seeking any form of warmth to soothe their already aching bodies.

"You know…" Kagami suddenly remarked coldly, "I came from across the sea."

"I believe you," Kuroko replied simply. For some reason, his short answer irritated Kagami.

"…I was born here, in Basquet," he continued, "But my family was exiled by the wars and fled across the sea. Over there, I learnt to fight, and since I know how strong the warriors are here, I wanted to come back to prove myself. So far, I have to say I'm disappointed."

"The strong have been scattered by the wars, too," Kuroko assured him.

" –I don't care about the wars," Kagami growled darkly, "I don't care about kingdoms or land. I want to fight in battles that really get me going –against strong opponents; not against farm boys. I came back because years ago, even across the sea, I heard of Teiko's rise, and about the Five Commanders." He knew he wasn't imagining the way that the smaller man across the yard from him tensed suddenly. "I overheard the Chief talking to the Captain. You were a part of Teiko's army; fighting alongside them; weren't you?"

Kuroko nodded once. Kagami cracked his neck and reached for a pair of stray wooden swords that were leaning against the rundown wall of the barracks. What was it about this young man that was so unsettling? The shadows around him seemed thick, almost as if tempted to swallow him up.

"I'm a good judge of strength," he remarked arrogantly, testing the weight of the weapons in his hands and then tossing one to Kuroko. He caught it with both hands; his intense blue eyes still trained on Kagami. "I can sense it. The strong and the weak, they smell different. And you…being so weak…should smell weak…and yet…" He tapped the tip of the wooden blade against the dirt ground. "On you…I smell nothing."

"Show me the power of Teiko."

"As you wish," Kuroko replied softly, though his voice hardened as he swept of his blanket and brandished the wooden sword. "I have also wanted to duel you." Kagami felt warmth seep back into his limbs at the promise of a fight. Perhaps this small man had some power that he hadn't wished to display as of yet?

Even before their swords met, Kagami knew that he was wrong. There was a dull thwack of wood clattering against wood, and he easily broke through Kuroko's guard; sending the blade flying across the yard. The pale man jogged over to retrieve it, and demanded a second attempt.

This time, he swung first. Kagami blocked with so much ease that he was insulted. The attack lacked power. It was sloppy. There was no way he was going to get past his defence.

The fifth time Kuroko's sword clattered to the ground, Kagami threw his down with it in disgust.

"You've got some fucking nerve," he growled aggressively, "Challenging me so boldly when I'm obviously in a completely different league from you? Don't overestimate yourself, especially when it comes to duelling." Kuroko paused in picking up the two swords to look up at the monster of a man looming over him.

"You think that's what this was about?" he remarked, almost sounding amused, "…I already knew that I could not defeat you. I just wanted to see for myself how powerful you are." Kagami's eyebrow twitched and he turned his back on the small man, unable to believe that he'd wasted his time fighting him.

"Kuroko, was it?" he remarked flatly, as he began stalking away, waving a hand at him dismissively to inform him that their little play-fight was over, "Don't bother challenging me. I have no interest in the weak –which you clearly are. An army has need of strength and is no place for a man like you." His steps echoed into the night, and he was almost certain that Kuroko had accepted this, when he heard that small, clear voice murmur a response.

"You're wrong."

"Huh?" Kagami snorted, looking back over his shoulder to see that Kuroko was holding one of the swords in his hand and looking at it searchingly, as though it could offer him all the answers to the world.

"Strong and weak?" Kuroko queried, letting the dented object fall to the ground and wrapping his blanket around himself once more. "The strength of a man is not solely measured by how hard he can swing a sword." Slowly, he began moving away in the opposite direction; his soft-soled shoes making next to no noise against the hard ground. " –Though you may disagree with that. I am not strong, like you, Kagami-kun."

Kagami cocked his head in confusion; undeniably intrigued by this soft, strange man who spoke like he knew him. He watched in fascination as Kuroko turned once more, to look back at him over his shoulder with those ice-blue eyes that he felt, hid many secrets. With his own eyes, he had seen what little strength he had, yet he couldn't help but feel unsettled.

"…_I_, am a shadow." And as Kagami's dumbstruck eyes blinked but once, the young man named Kuroko disappeared into the darkness; no trace remaining of his existance, save a spare wooden sword lying in the dust.

* * *

**Kagami meets Kuroko. An underwhelming meeting, yes? But, this man claims to have been a commander in the most powerful army known to the lands. Perhaps he really will prove to be surprising. **

**_How strong is Kagami, truly? And what is his purpose? Most of all...who is Kuroko? _****Find out more next chapter!**

**xx K**


	3. Sunrise

The icy night air was filled with the sounds of shaking, laboured breathing and the stumbling of hooves against frozen stones. Hyuga crouched low over his horse, desperately seeking to share some of the animal's heat. The cloak he was wearing did nothing to keep back the chill wind that was tormenting his troops. He couldn't understand how anyone could be so foolish as to choose to brave nights like these.

Since autumn, the troops had been in training, under the rigorous and deadly eye of Riko. It was now the middle of winter, though up in the north, it was easy to forget that. Seirin and the Wastelands, so far into the north, knew no seasons. The geysers and volcanoes kept the daytime air hot, and the storms from the ocean never made it far enough inland to drop rain or snow upon the Kingdom of Ashes.

Recently, Riko had received troubling news from their king's contacts in the south of Seirin; that a troop of bandits, taking advantage of the empty countryside, were making their way north along the Highway.

The Highway was the main road in the west of Basquet. In times long past, it was assumed that this huge dirt path was used for trading and travelling between kingdoms and all through the west lands. However, in the last centuries, since relations between the kingdoms were so poor, it had gone for the most part, unused, save by bandits and refugees.

News that bandits were traversing those treacherous roads was unnerving. Navigating the now-overgrown paths was difficult, even in the mildest of months, but to hear that there were those daring to risk it in the middle of winter, when the nights were cold enough to freeze a man to his horse –that was truly worrying. It meant that something was driving them northwards –filling them with fear enough to face the ice.

Riko, at the request of the king, had been commanded to eliminate the bandits. Whether they were fleeing was irrelevant. The kingdom had little enough already without bandits terrorising the poor countryside.

So she had sent Hyuga with two hundred men to the south, to ensure that the southern entry-point to their kingdom remained secure. Word could not get out that it was possible to reach the north before the Winter Thaw. They were not ready for an attack yet. And in any case, they had a duty to protect the people from any potential bandit-raids.

Although, Hyuga mused to himself, if this wind didn't let up, they wouldn't be able to protect anybody. Men who had spent their entire lives in the north were unused to this kind of severe cold. At least though, they were reaching the pass, and dawn was coming –and with it, the sun, which would give them enough warmth to unfreeze their blood at least.

"Captain?" a voice inquired, straining against the wind. Hyuga looked down to see that Kagami had caught up and was walking alongside his horse at the head of the company.

"What happened to your horse?" he asked.

"I didn't want it," he replied sternly, "I don't need one." Hyuga just stared at him, still not sure what to make of this man, even after just over three months of watching him train. He'd yet to see him face an enemy, which was why he had requested that he accompany him south.

"…You never fight on a horse?" Hyuga was a little intrigued by this concept. Kagami shook his head once and drew his cloak around his shoulders a little tighter, "How do you face horsemen?"

"A horse dies a lot easier than a man," was Kagami's bold reply, "And then we're both just men." He chuckled in that way that unsettled the Captain slightly. It was almost as though he was thirsty for a fight. "Izuki sent me to tell you that he can see the pass, and that it's unusually clear." Hyuga's expression darkened. That wasn't good news.

"A trap, likely," he muttered with a frown, "…To kill us or steal our horses. They must be getting desperate to wait out here."

"Why would they try?" Kagami growled in a thick, guttural tone, teeth gritted against the cold. Hyuga just looked down at him condescendingly.

" –You really are new to these lands aren't you?" he snorted, "…The wars in Basquet are enough to turn any man desperate. And the Three Kings south of here are always in conflict."

"The Three Kings?" Kagami queried and Hyuga glared and kicked his subordinate in the arm from his horse for his lack of knowledge.

" –Have you been deaf for three months?" he snapped, "We are the most north-western of all the kingdoms in Basquet. We have the desert and empty space to the north, and strong enemies in all other directions. The Three Kings of the West are three of those that lie south from us." He nodded towards the pass, "…Beyond that pass." His eyes narrowed bitterly, "…You'll meet them before too long." He snuck a glance over at the swordsman and didn't know why he was surprised to see his red eyes ablaze.

"Strong enemies, you say?" he chuckled to himself, "I look forward to meeting them."

"Get Izuki and Mitobe," he ordered, "Get them to bring their men ahead. You're a long way from toppling kings, rookie." Kagami looked like he was going to argue –Hyuga had learned very early on that he had what he assumed was an inflated sense of self and ability, and therefore thought that he was beyond commanding.

_Well, Kagami Taiga, you're going to see that Seirin has not been idle these past years_.

* * *

"…What am I doing back here?" Kagami growled mutinously to Koganei, who was riding beside him slowly as they watched Izuki and Mitobe's men move off to spring the trap at the pass. "I'm better than half those –"

"You've never seen them fight, have you?" Koganei interrupted, nodding ahead, "And besides, we're here to combat the second wave."

"Second wave –"

"Just wait," he chuckled, looking at the formidable blade at Kagami's back. _You'll get your fight_. Slowly, they inched towards the pass.

Izuki's eyes scanned the area, so familiar with this place that he could identify all the places where their foes were hiding. Their sources hadn't indicated how large the bandit troop was –that wasn't unusual; bandits hid their numbers incredibly well –but he hazarded a guess that there were at least fifty –maybe a hundred, maybe more –out there in the night. Bandit troops rarely got bigger.

In his mind's eye, he looked down upon the pass. The first arrows would come from high up the steep walls –to draw their attention away from the swordsmen hiding in the low crags. He glanced across at Mitobe, and the other man nodded in understanding. The wind would make for hard shooting, but Hyuga and his archers were coming up behind them and were used to such conditions.

The first enemy arrow, sent astray by the wind, clattered uselessly into the gravel and that was the signal for Izuki to be fully on guard.

"Arrows!" he hollered out, and instantly, their small shields were up; protecting them from the attack from above, but obscuring their vision –as the bandits had intended. There was a loud roar as suddenly, the ruffians revealed themselves on the ground, sprinting forwards to fell those who were apparently surprised and defenceless upon their horses.

It clearly turned out that they were the ones who were surprised by Mitobe's men springing into action almost immediately; already off their horses as the bandits charged. The ground was uneven and not suited for saddled combat.

Kagami stared at the sight laid out before him in awe. Their Captain, who had a reputation as a magnificent archer, was certainly proving himself to be one. The fray had begun, and he and his mounted archers were letting loose a volley of arrows into the wind, seemingly at random. Yet how were so many of them making their mark?

He could hear the clash of metal upon metal and that familiar sound sent a rush of heat coursing through his body. These were only bandits, but he hadn't fought for his life in what felt like forever. The anticipation alone was killing him.

"Not yet," Koganei assured him; nodding towards the silent officer –Mitobe. Kagami raised an eyebrow as those who were leading the second charge waited as statues. Mitobe Rinnosuke had overseen a portion of his training, but he hadn't had much to do with the man. He never said a word, and Kagami had never seen him fight.

"They call him the Fisherman."

His eyes widened in astonishment as he realised what the other man was holding and fighting with upon the ground. It was a long pole with a crescent blade at one end –a scythe. Mitobe, a look of intense concentration painted on his face, was swinging that huge weapon around with ease, gutting men like trout and severing heads with incredible force. If the Captain's shooting hadn't been surprise enough, there was this too. He'd never seen someone fight with a scythe before –he'd always assumed that it was only a tool for farmers. He was incredible. The way he moved that scythe was hypnotising, almost.

And then the second wave of bandits came flooding through, as Izuki had known they would. This was when the rest of their company stormed the pass, and the night grew loud with the cries of dying men.

Kagami's broadsword was in his hand; the weight reassuring and like the rest of his arm had been returned to him. He leapt forwards into the fray.

The pass smelled of blood, and Hyuga cursed as another of his arrows wandered from its target. The last few days of the cold had numbed his fingers and was throwing his aim. He guided his horse with his knees and felt an unusual sensation of dread washing over him, despite the fact that the rest of their men had joined the fight. The bandits kept coming like a raging landslide without end.

Just how many were there?

This wasn't possible. How were there so many of them?

"Hyuga!" Izuki called out from the ground; his face drenched in bandit blood, "There's too many! There's hundreds of them!"

"Pull back!" Hyuga shouted out, but the wind silenced his words. _Hundreds_. He saw some of his men begin to fall from their horses –arrows deep in their chests. He ducked low, trying to see the end. The sun was rising –so slowly, but already he could see that the ground was painted red.

And then, in the light of the rising sun, he saw him.

It was like watching a fire swallow up the night. All he could see was a flash of red and the glint of young sunlight upon a silver blade. The Captain dared to still his horse for long enough to identify the figure as Kagami.

He was fighting off so many opponents by himself. There was blood streaming from cuts on his face, but this didn't seem to trouble him because he was striking with such strength and such focus that Hyuga could have sworn that the man could feel no pain. He was completely surrounded, yet seemed undaunted by this. That huge sword reached far beyond that of any normal weapon, and he watched, amazed as with one deft swing, he charged forwards and ran three men through with a single thrust.

And in the light of the rising sun, Hyuga watched him laugh, and felt his limbs lighten with fire at the sound.

It wasn't a heartless laugh of a merciless killer. It was the laugh of a victor.

He dug his heels into his horse's sides and the beast shot forwards, back into the fight –thoughts of retreat forgotten. This strange man; who was he to fight like that –to laugh in battle with excitement? That terrifying strength…he truly was a monster.

Kagami laughed as he felt warm blood run down a gash in his shoulder. He swiftly raised his sword and turned aside attack after attack. These bandits were slow –they were sloppy. But he was fighting, and there was nothing he loved more than the feeling of steel meeting steal.

He ducked backwards and smirked when he found himself being closed in on by a large group of the thugs. Good. Alone they were too weak for him -and they knew it. He could see the terror in their eyes.

But there were so many of them, and he was used to duels, not wars. He was a fighter, not a butcher, and not even the last three months had prepared him for that part of battle; to kill, and kill, and avoid being killed.

And then suddenly, he stumbled on a dead man's body and found himself falling backwards. There was a cheer and a triumphant growl from the bandits surrounding him as he fell, and he quickly tried to raise his sword to block the sword that was swinging down towards his neck.

But before his own blade got there, there was an unusual sound, and his eyes widened as he saw that there was something wrapped around the blade and dragging it, almost in slow motion, away from its owner. Surprise slowly spread across the bandit's face as his blade was wrenched from his grasp by what appeared to be a chain.

Time resumed its normal speed as Kagami leapt back to his feet; running his blade through the chest of the man who without that weird intervention, would've skewered him. Shock was still plastered across his face as he died.

And then, as Kagami rose once more, he watched his opponents fall. They were falling –screaming –but not dying, and he couldn't figure out why until he saw them clutching at their ankles –tendons severed.

A shape shifted past him in his peripheral vision but was gone in the blink of an eye. In its place though, a long chain came flying out of nowhere, and firmly wrapped itself around four of the closest bandits; immobilising them and enabling Kagami to subsequently behead them.

Hyuga saw it too, from his vantage point atop his horse. Something was happening to the bandits. They were crumpling, but crumpling where he could see none of his men. They plummeted to their knees, shrieking in agony, but he could see no arrows –no wounds –no reason for their distress. But then he turned his eyes to Kagami once more. He saw the chain trapping men, and then, as if by magic, releasing them as they fell without their heads –only to once again trap another. The bandits that had been so full of confidence with their numbers were now crying out in terror and losing their boldness. The quietening wind gave way to shrill screams about a ghost that was bringing them to their knees.

Seirin's warriors were winning. The numbers had shocked them, but they were winning, and Hyuga hadn't the slightest idea why.

And then, as he veered his horse over to Kagami, and raised an arrow to eye level to shoot, he saw it. Or rather, he saw _him_.

Holding that chain was no ghost –it was a man; a pale spectre of a man. As Kagami drove steel through the heart of two trapped bandits, it appeared that he too, became aware of the presence of the man who had called himself Kuroko Tetsuya.

"You!" Kagami hissed in astonishment; his eyes wide in shock as the blue-eyed man caught his gaze, and soundlessly slit the throat of another bandit, before shaking the chain free and spinning to wrap it around the throat of yet another; toppling him to the ground. Kagami kept his eyes trained on the man –the man who claimed to be a shadow, and who he hadn't realised was in their company. He watched that pale blur glide through the fray completely unnoticed –but wherever he ran, bandits fell.

Their ankles. He was…he was immobilising them; chaining them and cutting them down. And somehow, he was doing it without them even being able to see him!

"Teiko," Hyuga found himself breathing in astonishment. Kuroko had claimed to be a commander of that fabled army. That army was led by the Five Commanders of Miracles. That was a fact. But he, like many others, had heard tell of another –a phantom soldier that held no real rank and led no men; a silent killer that could bring an army to its knees. In whispers, it was said he could move soundlessly, and that he could melt into the night; that he could creep up on wandering animals and walk amongst crowds unnoticed. Because, the rumours went, he was invisible; a man without presence. He was silence incarnated.

The Sixth Commander; the Shadow.

* * *

The fight was over. The bandits were dead, and those that were fleeing were being shot down by Hyuga's archers as their Captain dismounted, staring at the huge number of outlaws scattered across the ground. His boots were damp with blood.

"Loot them all," he barked, "Anything that can be saved, take it. We need everything." His men –the ones still remaining, nodded. A quarter were dead. He felt useless. What kind of Captain lost a quarter of his force to a measly band of bandits?

"Captain," Izuki remarked, laying a hand on his shoulder as he gritted his teeth, "Don't be hard on yourself. There were far more than we anticipated. I should've considered the possibility…"

"How bad are things in the south that so many of them come to us?" Hyuga snapped angrily, "And tell me what happened, Izuki! They were at least double our force; they were more used to the cold; they were more used to killing than us –why are we alive?" Izuki wanted to tell his Captain –and his friend –that it was because they had been so well-trained. But even trained soldiers could be overwhelmed, and all the men here had spent a long time away from war. Both knowing the answer, they glanced further down the Highway to where Kagami was sitting, panting, on a pile of bodies while that Kuroko bandaged the gash on his arm.

" –Hurry," Hyuga growled at his men, "If we're fast, we can be well north before dark." With that, he and Izuki picked their way through the limbs and bodies to the two rookies.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he immediately growled as he approached. Kagami looked up, breathing heavily.

"…Across the sea," he replied simply, "I was a fighter over there." Hyuga paused for a moment and drank in the look on the younger man's face.

"You're not used to killing, are you?" he wondered quietly.

"…Not like this," he admitted, shaking his head, "Tch…I didn't train as a swordsman half my life to hack at a wall of bodies until they fell." Hyuga chuckled bitterly. So this was a man who believed in an honourable fight of strength and skill? Well, those didn't come about a lot these days.

"Get used to it," he informed him as a warning, "For every master swordsman out there, there are hundreds of farm boys wearing a dead knight's armour." He nodded at the gash on his arm, "When you've got that cleaned up, get to work. Enough bandit clothing and you might just make it home with all your fingers." He turned his gaze to Kuroko.

"And you…how long have you been with the company?"

"…I've been here the whole time," was Kuroko's response. It took effort to prevent his mouth from falling open in shock. He hadn't seen him this whole journey!

"…Is that so?" he remarked flatly, "…When we return to the capital, the Chief is going to want to speak with you both." And without another word, he stalked off. Kagami turned, to inquire of Kuroko what had happened in that fight, and speculate what the Chief might want with them –but the pale man had somehow, within moments, vanished.

Eyes wide, he stared around wildly, but there was absolutely no trace that he had ever been sitting there with him.

Seirin's remaining men quickly got to work with stripping the bandits of whatever weaponry, garments, food and gold that they could –relishing the small warmth of the morning sun. They were focused on the ground, not above. Had Izuki, the man with the eyes of an eagle, not headed off down the Highway in search of a bandit camp, he may have noticed the presence of a stranger high in the pass –looking down upon the scene with great interest.

But Izuki was preoccupied, so no one paid any heed to the small shape watching from above.

* * *

Kagami was almost glad for the feeling of the night wind in Seirin's capital. That breeze, which he had always thought so cold, was actually a welcome touch on his skin; a wind without bite.

It had taken over a week to return to the city, but he was relieved to be back and away from those freezing nights. He chewed on a piece of bread as he sat upon the dais in the town square, wondering to himself about what he had overheard as he passed the Chief's chambers.

_The Shadow_.

"You appear troubled," a calm voice suddenly remarked from the darkness beside him. Kagami nearly choked on his bread and reeled away from the voice, startled to discover that Kuroko was sitting right next to him. Clear blue eyes blinked at him politely as he stared in shock.

"When did you get here?" he snapped.

"I was sitting here first," Kuroko informed him as he stared up at the moon. Kagami quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion before sighing and following his gaze skywards. He mulled over what he had once said to the other man, and thought back to what strange power he had witnessed upon the Highway.

"I was wrong about you," Kagami remarked conversationally, letting out a sigh, "…You are not weak."

"I am glad to hear that from you," Kuroko replied quietly.

"You're…strong," he corrected himself flatly, and then looked across at the man sitting next to him, "…Strong enough to lead Teiko, I hear?" Kuroko looked as though he was about to scoff, but then thought better of it, and looked at his pale hands in his lap with a small frown. "I've heard some things, about you, Kuroko. The Captain seems to think that you are one of the Commanders of Miracles." The silence stretched out between them.

"I was," Kuroko finally replied quietly, "A long time ago."

"Then why did you let me think you were weak?" Kagami snorted, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Kuroko just peered at him strangely. "You said that you weren't strong, like me."

"I meant it," he assured him softly, "But I meant that I am not strong in the same way as you are. You shine bright, in the same way as them, whereas I melt into the darkness."

"…Like _them_?" Kagami dared to breathe.

"The other Commanders," Kuroko replied with a nod, but that seemed to be all he was going to say without further probing. Kagami felt a grin stretch across his face –he somehow felt elated at being told that he shared the same type of strength as such legends.

"Are they really as strong as people say they are?" he inquired in anticipation, his heart already racing at the thought of facing them.

"Stronger," Kuroko assured him, "Much stronger."

" –How would I match up against them?" he asked curiously.

"They would destroy you in seconds," he answered simply, and Kagami's eyebrow twitched angrily at being so heavily insulted. "Make no mistake, Kagami-kun, you are strong, but they are…" He shuddered, "…_Monsters_. No one can compare to them."

"And they still command armies?"

"I believe so."

"…I can't wait," Kagami whispered, his voice oozing of excitement at the chance to face such enemies. "…Wait, you said that you were a Commander a long time ago? The Fall was only three years ago, wasn't it?"

"I left before the Fall of Teiko," Kuroko informed him, a shadow crossing his face, "…The infighting was so destructive, you see. The Five –they had grown so powerful that they grew arrogant…and the importance of land and life became second to power." Kagami was intrigued with the way Kuroko spoke; his voice somewhat pained but nostalgic. He was stunned by what he had witnessed at the pass, but having seen it, he found himself actually believing that this man really could be the one who had toppled armies.

"I left Teiko because it grew vain," he continued in a subdued tone, "It ceased to care about its people. Unity was a memory and an ideal –a foolish notion. The nameless king craved victory and power, and defeat was not an option. Victory had to be obtained at any cost. The Five…well, the king passed that philosophy down to them, and they fought only for themselves. They relied on no one but themselves. I disagreed with how things were, and left –four years before the Fall. An army and a kingdom divided...that is not how it should be."

"You willingly deserted the Kingdom of Miracles?" Kagami queried in confusion.

"It _began_ as the Kingdom of Miracles," Kuroko answered bitterly, "I joined the army because I believed that the war was necessary to bring about peace. Someone needed to claim the Centre. But as the Five rose, the violence only escalated, and I knew that while their joint power remained absolute, there would never be peace, because they would never stop fighting. So I left, to find someone who could defeat them. And when Teiko fell, I knew that there would be more wars over the Centre…only this time, the Five would march against each other."

This was a strange concept to Kagami, but he thought he understood. The Five…too much power had made them want more, and Kuroko believed that by breaking that power, they would be reminded that they were just men?

"That is where you come in, Kagami-kun," Kuroko informed him quietly, standing from his spot on the dais. The redhead admitted that he was well-suited to the name 'the Shadow'. The night always closed in around him, and he was worried that if he blinked, Kuroko would vanish like a wisp of smoke.

"You are strong, yet you do not want power," he murmured, "I know what you want. You want to prove that you are a great swordsman –"

"The best," Kagami corrected, "I want to be the greatest warrior in the land." Kuroko allowed himself a small smile.

"–The wars of kings don't bother you," he nodded, "You are different from them because you have the heart of a warrior without the mind of a butcher. You seek something other than power over others. I believe that you have the strength to stand against the Commanders of Miracles and I intend to help you."

"You're offering to help me defeat your old comrades?" Kagami raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"If they are not defeated, this land will destroy itself," Kuroko informed him gravely, "Seirin is strong too, and its people desperate to be saved. I intend to help it rise from the dust; united, as a kingdom should be. But…" he paused and looked up at him with a new determination in his eyes, "…But I am merely a shadow." He held out a clenched fist to the fiery swordsman and met his gaze evenly. "Kagami-kun. I will help you become the greatest warrior in the land. Will you fight the Five alongside me, and be the light that casts my shadow?"

Kagami looked searchingly into Kuroko's face, wondering at how such a simple, weak-looking man could speak with such strength in his soft voice. He had seen for himself the strength in him, their Captain, and some of their superiors, but had yet to encounter one of the Five. Kuroko, however, was aware of their strength –but believed that together, they could topple not one army, but five.

He respected that kind of faith, and if this man, who he had barely spoken to, believed in him like that, then who was he to deny him?

With a feral grin, he held out his own, huge fist and lightly bumped it against Kuroko's. They had only fought bandits. He knew he was yet to see the full abilities of the Shadow, and was eager to show their Captain –and all the other kingdoms –just who _he_ was. If they combined his sword with Kuroko's ability to render men useless…there wasn't a miracle who could stand against them.

* * *

Little did they know that they were not alone in that town square. Upon the rundown roof of one of the nearby buildings, there was a figure lying there with a very intrigued look upon his face. He had caught snatches of the conversation, and what he had heard was proving to be most interesting. He was very glad now, that he had come to Seirin –a kingdom he had had no interest in until recently.

He had come to the pass by a warmer route, from a Kingdom further south, bypassing the warring Three Kings. Knowing that Seirin would defend their southern border from bandits, he had waited, and he had watched the battle that took place there. Through eyes filled with light, he had seen, to his delight, the work of a Shadow –though the spectre itself had evaded his sight.

The birds these days really were remarkable in their ability to collect information.

But he had seen something else too; something unexpected that truly made the trip northwards worthwhile.

He had seen fire burning through the dark sea of bandits; a ray of hope, perhaps, for this dull kingdom of dust?

In that pass of the Highway, he had seen that flaming sun rise with the promise of dawn –and it was red.

Now, as he looked down upon the two men standing in the square, he chuckled to himself and rested his chin upon his hand thoughtfully as the shorter, paler one of the pair nodded and turned. In the moonlight, he drank in the pale features and ice-blue hair. Gold eyes glinted down, matching the stars above, and the man quietly smirked to himself.

"…Who knew we'd meet again in a place like this?" he chuckled quietly, "It's been a while, Kurokocchi…"

* * *

**I hope you liked this chapter! Fight scene brief for the moment, because we've got wars and battles ahead!  
****_And then he met with his fated shadow._**** The Centre lies far from Seirin, and there are enemies all around, but what is it, that they say, about every journey beginning with a single step? Kagami and Kuroko have chosen to walk together. **

**...And this stranger, what is his purpose in Seirin?  
Review, follow, more and more to come!**

**Love,  
xx K**


	4. Monster

**A stranger in Seirin? What does this mean for the struggling kingdom?**

* * *

Dawn was just breaking, but already the barracks in the capital were full of life and movement. In his undersized bunk bed, blissfully unaware of the commotion going on elsewhere in the building, Kagami slept on peacefully. His legs hung out over the edge of the bed, and his sword rested underneath it, and for the meantime, his snores filled the sleeping hall.

Feeling something sharp brushing against his face, his eyes immediately shot open and he lunged forwards at whatever threat had woken him. Grasping thin air, he toppled out of bed and hit the stony floor with a thud. Cursing, he writhed in the dust for a moment, wrestling with his worn blanket, before discovering that Kuroko was standing over him with a small knife held in one hand.

"Good morning, Kagami-kun," the small man commented lightly as he sheathed the knife. Kagami stared at him in disbelief –the man had woken him with a _knife_?

"What's the big idea?" he snapped aggressively, suddenly seeing that he was the last person left sleeping in the hall. Now he became aware of the sounds of cheering and swordplay coming from outside. Rolling his shoulders to remove them of sleep, he grabbed his sword and staggered to his feet.

"The Captain will punish you if you sleep late again," was Kuroko's answer, "At the moment he is preoccupied, but I suggest you do not let it happen again."

" –Preoccupied with what?" Kagami frowned, opening the nearest window shutters to let more light stream into the room. He blinked at the sudden brightness, but caught sight of a huge crowd having gathered in the yard –a crowd made up of both soldiers and civilians. "What's going on out there?"

"The city is in celebration," Kuroko replied, catching up as Kagami began making a beeline for whatever was going on outside. "The threat of the bandits has been eliminated, rumours of your prowess at the pass have spread, and the spoils taken from the dead have been gratefully received." He allowed a small smile to grace his features, and Kagami's expression softened at that look.

"It is a good day," Kuroko concluded.

"So where's the Captain?" he inquired flatly.

" –With our victory, the people have gained a little faith in our strength," he replied, "The Captain and the Chief are busy with men and women seeking to enlist. And those of us not training on the plains are still –" His words were cut off as Kagami all but kicked open the door of the barracks and stalked out into the yard.

Towering over the common people by at least a head, he moved through the crowd with ease. They stared at him in awe; having heard of this stranger from another land with hair like flames and fighting fury like none other.

It was to his delight that he discovered that those who were not out on the plains were conducting training of a different kind.

Mitobe, this time, armed with a sword, was facing off against three of the rookies. Like always, he said nothing, merely giving a nod of acknowledgement or a scathing look depending on their responses to his strikes. Children from the city were staring through the fence with wide eyes; impressed by these strange, strong men. Poor maidens seeking husbands were eyeing the young men in interest, giggling amongst themselves as they swooned over the strongest and most handsome of them.

Somewhere, out in the crowd, Kagami could hear a lute. Perhaps even a brave, wandering bard had heard about the celebrations and sought to make a few coins here. Well, he mused, he'd be out of luck. The people here might appreciate his songs, but they had nothing to offer, unless he could turn dirt into gold.

"Kagami!" one of the new recruits –Furihata –called out, waving him over to join the ring. He grinned wickedly; excited with the prospect of crossing blades with a warrior like Mitobe. He swapped his huge sword with the blunted one that they used for training and anxiously joined the line that had formed. Izuki had joined Mitobe, the pair of them testing six rookies together –Izuki calling out improvements where necessary.

"Don't fidget so, Kagami-kun," Kuroko's voice suddenly remarked from beside him, and he was lucky that Furihata was so jumpy that he had incredibly reflexes –otherwise he might've wound up with a nasty welt from the blade as the redhead flailed out in shock.

"Kuroko –give me some warning!" he growled aggressively, with an apologetic look towards the jittery Furihata. Kuroko's blue eyes just looked up at him innocently.

"I've been right here the entire time," he assured him politely and Kagami gritted his teeth, but noted that for some reason, Kuroko looked troubled. He pushed this to the back of his mind as the melodic notes of the bard drew closer. He chuckled lowly to himself, unable to prevent himself from thinking that perhaps if the bard saw him, he could write a song about him and spread the word around the land…

As he reached the front of the line, he took a deep breath and stepped forwards, lunging into the fray and being met with Izuki's blade as the officer blocked.

The fire that filled his veins in a fight suddenly burst alight, and he parried when Mitobe lurched forwards –taking advantage of his failed attack to surprise him. But Kagami had been waiting for this –having noticed that Mitobe and Izuki made a powerful team when duelling together –and leapt back a pace with astonishing speed for his size. But Izuki was ready once again, swiping at his feet in an attempt to unbalance him.

Kagami grinned to himself, jumping over the attack and then batting aside the stab to his chest. These men truly worked flawlessly together, and appeared to almost be communicating without words.

But he could sense that at least for the moment, they were going easy on him, like they had been for all the recruits; testing their basic skills and how they improved. Kagami wasn't like the rest of the rookies, and he intended to make sure they saw that.

Suddenly, as he caught a block, he forced Izuki's sword out in a wide arc towards Mitobe and spun around him in the opposite direction. As Mitobe leapt back to avoid the stray swipe, Izuki's eyes widened in horror; knowing what was coming next. He wasn't a slow fighter, by any means, but the force behind the blade forcing back his sword arm had meant that he couldn't pull it back in or counter Kagami.

The redhead, already at his superior's back, gave a single, clean swipe upwards and Izuki's flyaway sword went soaring from his hand and clattered uselessly into the dirt. A gasp went up in the crowd as Mitobe pulled up his blade approvingly and nodded at him as Izuki –a little embarrassed but definitely impressed, headed over to retrieve his fallen weapon.

Kagami let out a short breath of satisfaction as he headed back to rejoin the line. He couldn't see Kuroko anywhere, but kept on his guard, just in case the phantom decided to try and surprise him again.

Had that been an actual fight to the death, he would've run his opponent through the back as opposed to disarming him. It was a technique that had saved him dozens of times. First, there was that block that pushed back with tremendous force to leave an opponent reeling –opening up their chest. Some enemies recovered from that though, so Kagami had taken to rolling around to their back to meet the blade. If he made it to that point, then usually the fight was over.

Riko had witnessed that small fight between Kagami and Izuki, and couldn't help but be impressed. That giant never failed to surprise.

She let out a sigh but allowed herself a small smile. They'd suffered losses at the pass, but news of their victory had spread across Seirin already, and they had new recruits enough to make up for what they had lost. Some of them were here today, wanting to test out the strength of some of their officers.

A bard was playing loudly, and it was charming to hear music for a change. The city and the kingdom needed cheer, that was for sure, and she was glad that the people had something to lighten their spirits for a change. It was good of him to visit such a poor kingdom –bards usually sought to make a living with their songs, and it was obvious from the state of their cities that they could make no such coin here.

That was when she saw him, sidling through the crowd, strumming on his lute with a bright smile gracing his elegant features. Just looking upon him, she felt herself blushing. It was obvious that he was foreign; his hair was a sun-stained gold –a colour very uncommon to Seirin, and he was dressed in rich, vibrant blue –his blouse of silk and his dark pants and boots untarnished by the dust of the plains. A bright, silver ring was visible in his left ear.

And then the blush faded as she drank in that face. The peaceful look in her eyes hardened to one of wariness and shock as she grabbed Hyuga from nearby and stalked towards the ring –halting the current fight.

"Chief…what's the problem?" Hyuga inquired in worry, but then the words fell from his lips as he followed her gaze across to the beautiful blonde man who was stepping forwards from the crowd and returning his lute to his back. A whisper struck up as the crowd shrank back under Riko's angry gaze. Kagami, who had been eagerly awaiting his next fight, joined them in staring across at the newcomer.

"What's your purpose here?" Riko called out warningly as he chuckled as some woman from the crowd complimented him with a giggle. "Speak."

"My purpose?" the man remarked playfully, breaking into a smile, "What reason does a bard need to spread his songs?"

"Except that you are no bard," Kuroko's voice suddenly called out as he appeared at Riko's elbow. The whole crowd, minus this newcomer, drew back in shock; not having been aware of his presence in the ring. Kagami scowled, looking from the phantom to the gold-haired man who he privately agreed was no bard. He was reaffirmed of this as he saw cheerful gold eyes narrow into a look far more mischievous.

"Oh?" he remarked knowingly, "…I'm hurt that you think so little of my talent!"

"…You always had so many gifts…Except that it is war, not music where your true talent lies," Kuroko replied curtly, "Commander Kise Ryouta-kun." The man named Kise just chuckled, inclining his head happily.

"Oh Kurokocchi! I'm so glad you remember me!" he called out, taking a few steps forwards with his hands raised to show that he wasn't armed. "It's been so long! I thought you'd forgotten!"

"I could never forget you, Kise-kun," Kuroko replied coolly, dipping his head slightly in greeting. Kise clapped his hands together in delight.

" –That makes me so happy!" he laughed, "I've missed you so much, Kurokocchi! I tried to find you after you left, but you hid too well!" He pouted with a sigh, "Teiko wasn't the same without you…"

_Teiko_.

At the sound of the name of that fabled kingdom, a shiver of anger and fear ran through all those in the crowd. Kagami could've sworn that he misheard, and just stared in disbelief at this pretty, vibrantly dressed man who Kuroko had greeted by name, and called 'Commander'. Was it possible that this…

"Kise Ryouta?" Riko inquired softly, "…That's…It's true…You really are one of the Five Commanders of Miracles?" Kise scratched his chin in embarrassment as the vibe of the soldiers around him began to sour.

" –Forgive me," he chuckled, waving away the question, "I'm flattered to be called one of the Five…but the truth is that I'm the weakest of them –I was a little lordling before I was a soldier, after all. Kurokocchi and I were always mocked by the others when we were kids." He looked over at Kuroko with a friendly smile.

"That never happened to me," Kuroko informed him and he pouted, his eyes watering dramatically at the realisation that he had been the only one to suffer such treatment.

Riko didn't know what to make of this man. He was so exuberant –so _flamboyant_ –but she knew his name, and had heard tales of his beauty and his strength was legendary. A true golden boy.

It could mean nothing good that he was here in their midst. His golden eyes were centred on Kuroko, and she could see the dangerous glint hiding there behind the playful façade. She was worried, but Kuroko held no fear of him.

"When the army dissolved, I wanted to come and fight with you again," he informed him sadly, "…But you were always so good at hiding that no matter where I looked, I couldn't find you. Now, I fight for Kaijo, in the east; the Kingdom of the Sun."

"I had heard as much," Kuroko replied staunchly, "And I now fight for Seirin."

"So I can see," Kise sounded amused. "Ahh, I always knew you were soft, Kurokocchi…but this…" He let out a small bark of laughter as he gazed around at the tattered warriors and the ragged civilians that were watching him with awed by fearful eyes. He seemed about to say something, but was prevented doing so as he leapt backwards, snatching something from the air as a sword was hurled towards him.

He caught the weapon deftly by the hilt and spun it around before planting it firmly into the ground; gold eyes hardening and searching the crowd suspiciously for where the attack had come from.

Riko already knew who had thrown the blunted blade, and her gaze shot over to the broad redhead swordsman striding forwards with a weapon in hand.

"Kagami!" she and Hyuga growled warningly, but there was a fire in his eyes and a smirk on his face as he surveyed Kise.

"…I can't just stand by," he growled, his voice oozing competition and his aura radiating with the challenge, "…Not when there's one of the Five Commanders standing right here in front of me. I came back here to fight men like you…and I can't _wait_ to see what you have to offer." Kise raised an eyebrow and looked over at Kuroko.

"Is this guy serious?" he remarked incredulously.

"Very much so," Kuroko assured him calmly. Kise chuckled to himself, removing the lute from his shoulder and placing it against the fence of the ring.

"I didn't come here to fight, I promise you," he informed Kuroko and Riko, "I had just heard rumour that Kurokocchi had surfaced again and had to see for myself. But…" He looked over at Kagami with that dangerous look in his eyes, and smirked, "…I can't ignore such an obvious challenge."

The ring cleared in an instant, Kagami and Kise staring each other down.

"I am worried," Kuroko remarked softly to Riko, and she turned to face him rather sharply, "…It has been seven years since I fought beside Kise-kun. Even back then he was strong…I do not know how Kagami-kun will match up against him." She nodded in agreement; her brow creasing. The pair of them were using blunted blades, and Kise had said that he hadn't come with intent to fight –so it seemed likely that both would escape with their lives intact; but Kagami had never known the power of the Five. He had challenged this Kise, assuming that he could be defeated like any other man.

But the Five were not men. They were monsters, each with terrifying abilities that had crushed kingdoms and felled kings.

Kagami was learning that the hard way.

Kise moved with such grace that was far more suited to a noble than to a swordsman. His blocks were swift and elegant, and Kagami couldn't break through his guard. Not only that, but his attacks came from nowhere, and he could dance out of the reach of Kagami's attacks with ease.

"I must say, I'm disappointed, Kuroko," Kise admitted with a sigh, as Kagami picked himself up from the dirt for what felt like the tenth time. Without his usual sword, he felt unbalanced, and the unpredictability of Kise's strikes were sending him reeling. And it further incensed him with the knowledge that Kise was almost _toying_ with him. He looked across at Kagami as the redhead prepared himself for a charge, "…Shame, really. You talked so big. I had hopes that perhaps you were a challenge." That taunt was enough to send Kagami lunging forwards, aggressively aiming a two-handed strike at the blonde's side.

"…There is a reason he has been named Prince of the Sun," Kuroko whispered, his eyes widening in horror as he recognised that dreadful glint in Kise's eyes, "…Because of his power, he became Kaijo's champion…but that was not the first name he was given."

Kise blocked Kagami's charge; absorbing the impact, before suddenly, with a huge stroke of force, flung Kagami's sword away from him. There was shock written across Kagami's face as his arm was thrown wide; blade going with it with too much force to stop it. He watched as a gold blur whirled past him on his other side, and with a horrible feeling, felt a judder in his sword arm as Kise's blade made contact with his –sending it flying across the ring in the exact manner that Kagami had used against Izuki not so long ago.

He turned, unable to believe what had just happened. His own move...it had just been perfectly executed _against_ him. How was that even possible? Sure, the fake bard may have seen him use it against Izuki…but there was no way that…

His red eyes flicked across to Kuroko, and the look on the pale man's face told him that it was indeed possible.

"The Mirror," Riko breathed in understanding, a hand pressed to her lips in shock as Kise tossed his blunt blade at Kagami's feet –showing the redhead that he had been defeated. The crowd was whispering amongst themselves again; their faith in Kagami having very suddenly waned as they saw his utter defeat at the hands of one of the Five. But also, they were wondering at this stranger; of how he had managed to copy Kagami's technique so flawlessly.

"The Mirror?" Kagami growled out through gritted teeth as Kise turned his back on him to reclaim his lute.

"His eyes know no limits," Kuroko informed him quietly, heading over to console his comrade, "He can watch a man fight once and copy his every move. He's a…formidable opponent." Kagami's eyes widened. Fighting against a man who could reflect everything he had, straight back at him?

_Perfect_.

_This was what he had been waiting for. _

Despite having lost the fight so quickly and with so much lack of effort on Kise's part, Kagami couldn't help but let his heart soar. _This_ was the strength of the Commanders of Miracles? And there were four more even stronger than a soldier with an unlimited number of skills?

He couldn't have hoped for more.

If Kise noticed that Kagami was grinning, he ignored it, and instead addressed the small man standing next to the towering swordsman.

"Ahh, even if I got all hot and bothered for no reason…at least I got to see you again, Kurokocchi," Kise chuckled, dusting off his vibrant blouse. "…Come back with me?"

"What?" Riko and Hyuga exclaimed sharply, but Kise didn't even spare them a second glance. Kuroko's eyes narrowed.

"…I respect you, truly I do," Kise continued with a shrug, and gestured at the poverty around him, "And I hate to see your strength going to waste here. Why couldn't you have found a stronger kingdom to serve? This really isn't like you; what happened to the drive to be victorious? You shared that with us –"

"Seirin is strong," Kuroko assured him quietly, "And you are wrong. What I shared with you was a kingdom and an army…and as time wore on…that changed." Kise's expression fell into a frown, "Nothing could beat us…but we were not united. That was no way for a kingdom to be, and it was why Teiko fell when the nameless king died." Kise quirked an eyebrow in interest as Kuroko's eyes narrowed, "I promised Kagami-kun that I would help him defeat you, to teach you that there are things more important than power."

"You never used to joke like this, Kurokocchi," Kise chuckled, waving away his claim with a pointed look at the defeated Kagami.

"I'm serious," Kuroko assured him. Kise smiled at him; a knowing, confident smile.

"I see that," he admitted lightly with a shrug and a toss of his bright hair. "You always did entertain me. So… even though you've vowed to beat me, for old time's sake, I'll give you a warning." Suddenly, his voice grew darker; a trace of a threat seeping in.

"I am a part of a scouting force sent from Kaijo that is making its way through the land; testing military strength in the different kingdoms," he informed them sharply, "Very shortly, this company will enter the Kingdom of Ashes. Defeat us, and you will prove that perhaps your vows mean something. Defeat us, and my king will be forced to acknowledge your strength. If you triumph, I may convince my Captain to let you grow –war wouldn't be fun without strong enemies, and I have no wish to see you dead, Kurokocchi. But fail…" he shrugged simply, "And your kingdom of dust will be completely swallowed up by the Sun." He smiled at them as though that was just the way of the world.

"What if I were to kill you now?" Kagami dared, and Riko shot him a warning look, which he promptly ignored. Kise laughed openly as he arrogantly turned his back on the swordsman dressed all in black.

"You could try," he replied lightly, "But this poor little kingdom needs all the swords it can get, if you plan to stand against _anyone_." Kagami gritted his teeth angrily, knowing with all his heart that Kise was saying that should he try to kill him, he would die.

The worst part was that Kagami knew it was true.

"I fear I've overstayed my welcome," he laughed teasingly, as he waved to Kuroko and began vanishing back into the crowd, "I wish you luck. Come meet us on barrens to the east of this kingdom! I'll be waiting, Kurokocchi!"

"…I'll be there…Kise-kun…" Kuroko whispered, so quietly that only Kagami heard it. The redhead looked down to see that Kuroko was staring after Kise with something conflicted in his eyes. Hyuga moved closer to Riko and saw that their chief was shaking slightly.

"Should I shoot him down?" he inquired lowly, but she shook her head.

"I don't believe you'd hit him," she replied softly, "…And he freely came into our city; unarmed and with no malicious intent. Killing him under those terms would spark instant retaliation from Kaijo. We already have a scouting troop to deal with; we don't need their army coming down on us." Hyuga let out an annoyed growl but had to admit that she was right. He too, turned to look over at Kagami and Kuroko, who were still staring off to where Kise had been standing moments before.

"…A bluff, perhaps?" Hyuga suggested, "A trap? What purpose would he have in _warning_ us of an arriving force?"

"No," Riko shook her head, "He's telling the truth. He's arrogant, that's why. He thinks that even with all the warning in the world, we couldn't stand against Kaijo. He wants to show Kuroko that he chose the wrong king to serve." Hyuga's expression darkened at the insult; being taken lightly was something that no soldier could stomach.

"…Men!" Riko called out sharply; having made her decision, and the soldiers who had fallen silent, now turned to look at her. "Training resumes at dusk! We don't have time to waste; an enemy is approaching!" Immediately, the yard sprang back into life as the scared and confused civilians scattered back into the city and those in the army scrabbled for weapons and headed back into the barracks.

"Kuroko," their chief whispered quietly, and saw electric blue eyes turn to face her, "Kaijo is just another army, and they will fall like any other…but Kise the Mirror; is it possible to defeat him?" She paused and then rephrased her question, "…Can Kagami defeat him?"

Kuroko pondered this for a moment, looking across to where Kagami was accepting his huge broadsword back from Furihata's care. Though defeated, there was no trace of shame upon the redhead's face. There was laughter in his eyes and his mouth was set in a determined grin.

"…Though he suffered no physical wounds…" he mused aloud, "He has taken a serious blow to his pride. I have known men like him, and though they can endure many an attack on their body…damage to their pride is something they cannot let go unrepaid." Riko looked at Kuroko; truly looked at him, and wondered at his smooth tongue and his way of speaking. He met her gaze unwaveringly.

"Kise-kun has vastly improved these years," he informed her solemnly, "His strength and his ability to reflect have far surpassed his skill of when I last knew him. I cannot say if Kagami-kun can defeat him…" They, the captain, and the other veterans who stood nearly, glanced across at Kagami. The swordsman was striding towards the barracks with vigour in each stride –a man with purpose; and a man who had something to prove.

"…But he will try."

Almost as if he had heard the exchange, Kagami looked back with a reassuring smirk on his face. Again, he startled them all with that strange fire dancing in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Chief. I won't just try," he called out, in a tone with arrogance that could have easily equalled Kise. There was confidence in his voice and face that suddenly lit a spark of hope in Riko's heart; lightening her worries.

"…I'll win."

* * *

**Kise the Mirror has issued his warning. Battle lies on the horizon for the young Seirin. Kagami has suffered defeat at the hands of one of the Five, but when they meet again, will he be able to triumph and bring a young kingdom that much closer to earning the respect of stronger kings? **

**I really hope you're enjoying this sort of take on the story! Leave me a review if you like?  
Much love for reading!  
xx K**


	5. Clouds of Ash

** Welcome to chapter 5. It's quite long, but I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

The late winter sunrise was both beautiful and unusual. Two cloaked, hooded figures, standing atop a dull, cracked hill, peered out across the drab wasteland at the sight laid out before them.

To the south of that hill lay the gullies and rocky labyrinths of Seiho; the Kingdom of Stone, and to the north, the Wastelands stretched out for miles uncounted –a bare, inhospitable land suited only for dreaded creatures, thugs and exiles. In the northwest, both men knew, a small kingdom grew restless, and its men began to move east, to meet with another force venturing out to the west.

But it was not the north, south nor west that drew the attention of these two men as they rested their horses upon that hill –but the east, where the sky was tainted with what appeared to be a strange fog that dulled the sun and cast the whole world under an eerie red light.

"The sky sure is weird today," one of the men remarked conversationally, looking across at his taller companion. He was unsurprised to see that this man was also gazing out at the sunrise intently, as though it held some other meaning that he, himself was yet to understand. And maybe to him, it truly did.

"Don't state the obvious," he replied haughtily. The shorter of the pair sighed heavily and shaded his eyes to try and pick out what was in the air that appeared to be fascinating his companion.

"What is it?" he wondered aloud, "If it's a cloud, it doesn't look like any I've ever seen before. Does it have anything to do with the quaking we felt this morning?"

"Fool," his companion scoffed, looking down at him with superior eyes that glinted in the morning sun, "…That is no cloud. And that quaking this morning was the waking of one of the volcanoes deep within the Wastelands."

"…But they've slept for centuries and centuries," he frowned, "…Surely they would not…"

" –The Gods have sought to wake them," the other interrupted sternly, "I do not seek to question them. And listen…do you hear it? Do you feel it?" The smaller man paused for a moment, listening expectantly and hearing nothing across the plains other than the howling of the wind.

"…The wind…" he concluded flatly, used to his strange companion's talk of Gods and omens by now. "That's all I hear."

"Exactly," was the answer he received, "The earth shaking last night, as a dead volcano returned to life, was the Wheel of Fate turning. And the wind blows from the west today –carrying something on the air all the way to the east to greet _this_ sunrise…" He gestured with a pale hand out towards the red sky before them.

"Dust, maybe? From the Wasteland?" his more sceptical comrade frowned, "I don't know…this is all seems pretty coincidental…"

"That is no dust up there, fool," the taller of them informed him coldly, "And where the Gods are concerned, there is _no_ coincidence."

"…You and your Gods…So if it's not dust, then what…" his words were lost as now, his tall companion's eyes turned westwards; a strange curiousness aroused in him but which he would never admit to. It was not his duty to wonder as to what might be –the Gods chose to reveal their work when they desired, and he should not seek answers before they were intended to be given.

But nonetheless, he was curious.

"Ash."

* * *

In the Wastelands, nowhere close to the borders of any kingdom, Kise the Mirror was striking camp with the scouting force he belonged to. It had been two weeks since he had departed Seirin's capital –if it could even be called a capital; if even it could be called a city. He was used to cities of much greater wealth and finery. He had spent these past three years in Kaijo; a kingdom whose beauty was said to be rivalled only by the Centre. It was a land of rolling, golden fields; rich with wheat and music.

That was not to say that its army was any less grand. Kaijo was a fierce, proud kingdom, and throughout Basquet they were renowned for maybe being one of the kingdoms that stood a chance at claiming the Centre. Even without him, they had been strong, but now with one of the Five Commanders of Miracles…they had solidified their hold on the east.

"You really think they'll come?" a loud voice called out sternly from somewhere in the sea of bright blue tents, and Kise turned with a cheerful smile to salute his Captain; a man named Kasamatsu Yukio –who, though he stood shorter than many of the tall, beautiful soldiers of Kaijo, emanated presence.

"Of course, sir," he assured him lightly, "Seirin is raring to prove themselves, sir. I think they may have interpreted my warning as an insult, sir…"

"And so they rightfully should," Kasamatsu snapped crossly, folding his arms and for the thousandth time, tiring of his subordinate's mischief, "…That was your intent, wasn't it, Kise?"

"…I would never, sir…" Kise replied innocently, only to suddenly double over, winded, as a fist connected with his gut and knocked the breath straight from him.

"Don't lie through your teeth," Kasamatsu ordered darkly, his brow creasing into a scowl, "And quit calling me 'sir' so frequently or I'll start thinking you're mocking me."

"Yes…" Kise coughed, and then looked up to see that his captain was still standing there with his arms folded. "…Sir?" he guessed weakly. Kasamatsu just let out a disdainful snort and punched him on the head, causing Kise to clatter down into the dirt, holding his throbbing head. No one made a move to help him to his feet, but the blonde didn't mind; picking himself up and dusting off his clothes without worry and waving at his captain.

"I'll do you proud, sir!" he hollered with that same, bright smile. Kasamatsu didn't even look back as he stalked off to ensure that preparations were being made for the skirmish with Seirin. Kise just chuckled to himself, not taking his captain's rough treatment of him personally.

As he gazed around, wondering at what work needed doing, he found himself staring up at that strange sky. The troops had felt the earth trembling in the night, and a few had been worried about what such a quaking could mean. Then, when the sun had risen with such a foreign glow, that had further troubled some.

"I'm sure _he_ would've had something to say about this," Kise mused to himself; a little saddened that the sky wasn't its deep, vibrant blue that he so very much loved. "He was always so superstitious…"

But Kise was not, and so he turned away from the east and looked instead towards the west, where his old friend and a new army would come marching for them; just waiting to be defeated.

* * *

"First Kise insults us by warning us of a battle," Hyuga growled, the anger at being so slighted very evident in his voice, "And now this. They're laughing at us, Chief."

"No," Riko murmured coldly as her horse danced restlessly, "If they were laughing, at least we would have their attention. This…this is unbelievable."

In most circumstances, Riko, being a Battlemaster, and therefore only advisor to the Captain of the army, would not ride with them so close to battle –and linger back in the tents if laying siege. But she had decided that it was best that she see for herself what the Kaijo army had to offer.

"How many did Izuki estimate were in their company?" she inquired coolly of her Captain.

"…Five thousand," he replied, "More? The sea of blue was vast, he said."

"Five thousand men marching as a scouting group," Riko murmured quietly, and he was unsure of her tone, "…And this is only those who remain after having passed through other kingdoms. We have come with so few…"

"Was it worth betting our whole army?" Hyuga reminded her, "We don't have the numbers to bring more. Other kingdoms boast armies of hundreds of thousands –some even greater…and we're struggling with the early tens of thousands. Risking more of us against only –"

"I understand," she assured him darkly, "But I don't like it. _Five_ thousand men at least rode to meet us, yet I see barely one standing on the Ridge."

This was a famous battleground of the Wastelands, in the unclaimed desert that lay to the east of Seirin. It was a wide, treacherous, natural bridge that rose over a huge gully that led southwards from the barrens into the depths of Seiho. No one cared to know how many hundreds of feet a man would fall if he treaded wrong on the edge of the Courtridge. It was named thus, because in kingdoms long since turned to dust, the barbarian kings of the Wastelands held court there, and those who were trialled and deemed guilty were flung to their deaths –their bodies breaking on the rocky path far below.

The gully itself was a huge crack in the earth –said by those who still believed in the First Gods to have broken the Wastelands when first the Wheel of Fate turned. Courtridge was the route across it –and any others seeking to invade from the east would have to cross it or ride to the north until the gully faded to a simple valley and then finally back into plains.

Riko had known that Kaijo would seek to cross here –and she knew that they had expected her to realise this.

And there ahead of them, on the other side of the bridge, lay their enemy; clad in the uniform of their kingdom; blouses of bright blue and dark leather jerkins. Their bright, silver shields were identical and teardrop-shaped. Above them, the banner of Kaijo; a gold sunrise against a blue sky, fluttered in the breeze. None were on horseback, and there was no sign of Kise.

The Courtridge was wide enough for a column of a hundred horses to walk side by side, so it allowed even more men to stand waiting. It was as they stood that it had become apparent how few men Kaijo had sent to face them.

"Their captain thinks he can defeat us with barely a thousand men?" Hyuga muttered mutinously, "Do you think it's a trap?"

"They think they have no need of traps," she scoffed darkly. "Ride out to meet them. And kill them all. Show them what we're made of, and they'll be forced to send out more troops."

" –And if he sends out Kise?" he inquired.

"Then I'll celebrate," she replied sweetly, and he became afraid, because it was that voice that had led many a man to his downfall –and sometimes his death. "…Because if we can't force their captain to send him out, then we have no business in seeking to claim the Centre." She reigned in her shifting horse. "I leave them to you, Hyuga." He nodded sharply to her in acknowledgement and heard her horse skitter back towards their tents, where their small rear-guard was waiting anxiously.

They had three thousand men with them –that was all they could spare for the time being, and they had not expected a scouting party to be a company of over five thousand.

It would have to be enough.

"Kagami," he called out curtly, slowly inching his horse forwards as the redhead glanced back at him; having heard the conversation. He too, along with many of the men present, had noted the small force that they were facing, and was outraged that they were being taken so lightly. Hyuga chuckled approvingly at the obvious disapproval painted across the swordsman's face.

"I'll do it," Kagami assured him, even before his captain had time to issue an order. "I'll show them that if they underestimate us, they will all die."

"Good," Hyuga replied shortly. It had been but two short weeks since this man had faced defeat at the hands of one of the Five…but he and Kuroko had been training together, and Kagami possessed some fierce drive that he didn't fully understand.

His men were falling into line. Good. He didn't know if the distance between them felt large or dangerously small, but in any case, his heart was beginning to pound. It had been over a year –nearly two –since he had last faced a battle with another kingdom, and now here he was, practically in his own land, being treated so lightly.

Seirin was young, but some of its men had seen their fair share of war.

Hyuga looked across at some of his officers and they all nodded, knowing their orders.

_Break their line_.

Today, they would be the judges of the Courtridge.

"Throw them from the cliffs."

* * *

Seirin's men began to march forwards –and march they did, for despite their ragged jerkins and their mismatched shields looted from wasteland kingdoms long dead, they were well-trained. Eyes were turned towards the gleaming shield-wall of Kaijo's insultingly small force.

Kaijo began moving too; slowly advancing while keeping their shield wall stable; their discipline remaining absolute despite the ragtag joke of an army that they were fighting against. Inch by inch, the two forces began to approach the middle of the Courtridge.

And then, as the men of Kaijo scoffed to themselves at the dirty, tattered men holding swords that were long overdue to be melted down, something happened.

The ranks of the army of Ash began to part, and from within it, there was a roar like that of some wild, untamed creature. Without warning, a blur shaped like a man but with a presence of a beast shot out the sea of brown rags and charged straight for Kaijo's lines.

One man caught a glimpse of what it truly was that hit the shield wall with the force an avalanche. He saw a head of red, and eyes that glowed with the intensity of some feral predator. He saw the clothes of black, and he saw the swinging steel, and then all he saw was red as a blade tore open his face and a charging monster crushed the breath from his lungs.

Kagami threw all his weight behind him as he leapt forwards; his sword biting into the flesh of three men as he crashed down upon their lines. Like tumbling rocks starting a landslide, the men either side of the one who had taken the brunt of the force, began to topple; unbalanced and unprepared for such an assault. But Kagami's momentum had carried him past the first shield and into the second line; his blade driving hard into the chest of a stunned swordsman.

Without pause, he retracted his weapon and spun in a violent arc; slicing deep, mortal wounds into the sides of all those around him. The men staggered, and the first cry of a flying man was heard as he was jostled off the edge of the Courtridge by one of his fellows.

His wide mouth curling into a distasteful sneer, Kagami acknowledged that such tactics were necessary in war, and, grabbing the shield of the first man he had felled, he charged once more; this time to the side; unsettling the men further and causing those cries of dead weights to intensify. They could not even hear the thuds as their terrified bodies hit the ground below.

Kaijo fought to reform its line, but in the disarray caused by a single man, they had not noticed that there was one among them who did not belong.

And then, one by one, at the end opposite to Kagami, Kaijo's men began to fall.

First, they crumpled to their knees, blood weeping from their ankles and their faces contorted up in agony…and then, they would topple sideways off the Courtridge; almost gently…as though pushed by some invisible foe.

Kagami, with his stolen silver shield in one hand, backed off slightly now, their perfect lines ruined and the ground crying blood.

"Tell your captain that we are not weak," he called out boldly –Seirin still waiting almost patiently some small distance behind him; not even having engaged their enemy yet. The men of Kaijo, though experienced soldiers, couldn't help but whisper amongst themselves at this man –this _one man_ who had fearlessly broken their ranks and now demanded to fight a bigger force.

"Our captain does not think you are weak," a loud, bold voice called out, and the soldiers drew back slightly to reveal the man standing there –a short, dark haired soldier with cold grey eyes and a defiant scowl upon his brow. There was something powerful about his presence, and Kagami knew from the way that he seemed to tower above those around him though being smaller in stature, that he was no ordinary foot soldier. From somewhere in the back ranks of Kaijo's company, a horn sounded.

"But I am beginning to think you are fools," that same man added; leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that this was Kaijo's captain; walking amongst the foot soldiers. A return horn sounded in the distance, and all-too quickly, it became apparent that there was a new company advancing at pace –a company of bright blue, with shields that glinted in the sun.

"Reform your line," Kagami challenged, with a fierce animalism in his eyes that made even Kasamatsu, Kaijo's captain, suddenly very wary. "If you can."

And that was when suddenly, the sky grew dark, and the men of Kaijo gazed up in horror to see a rain of arrows already loosed into the air while they were recovering. Some managed to get their shields up in time –others fell with shafts embedded in their flesh. With a hoarse yell, Kagami charged forwards once again, this time, his fellow soldiers charging with him.

Half of their enemy had managed to reform their shield wall, and it was this half that managed to withstand the initial strike, only to lower their shields and retaliate. The other half; left open and weakened, were forced to fling aside their defence and draw their blades.

Once again, Kagami clashed with Kaijo, though this time, they were prepared for him.

He didn't care. The blade in his hand was slick with blood, and the air tasted and smelled of iron.

Four men stood before him, all aiming to take him first before dealing with his comrades. He caught two blades at once on his own, and with the move that Kise had copied, sent both flying wide –one of them catching his own comrade across the cheek. With no room to duck around, Kagami simply impaled the one closest to him, and with the man's own sword, killed his comrade.

A chain came whistling from nowhere and caught the other two by their throats. As they gasped for breath, Kagami did not hesitate to behead them both in one foul slash. The chain jerked loose and darted back off again.

Enemies swarmed upon him, but he pushed them aside; sending their dead and dying bodies reeling into their comrades as he aimed to pass through them to the man who waited on the other side.

The second column had reached the Courtridge, and from there, he could see a rider on a white horse, with golden hair that shone in the morning sun.

"Kise!" Kagami hollered; daring him to join the fight –but it seemed that the Mirror was already approaching.

The fight raged on. Seirin's men were more used to fighting on the uneven ground; more used to the blistering heat of the sun of the wasteland, but Kaijo were more experienced; veterans of many battles and many wars.

Arrows waged war in the air –mostly for the purpose of dismounting the Kaijo riders. The footmen on both sides had grown efficient at raising their shields. But Hyuga was wilier than Kaijo likely assumed, and archers that had trained under him were highly skilled. While the men dealt with the rain of shafts from above, his personal company, from their ranks further back, stuck their sides and necks full of arrows.

All Kagami wanted was to face Kise again; to pay him back for the humiliating defeat to him that he had suffered. But the sea of bodies kept them apart –Kise moving faster than any swordsman he'd seen. He smiled as he killed, as though it was with such ease.

And men and men fell before him –countless numbers dying on his blade. The Five were weapons, and Kise, though he had claimed to be the weakest, was still one of them. He was killing more than any single man should kill; carving through the ranks of Seirin as a butcher might carve effortlessly through meat.

It seemed to Kagami, as he saw Kise kill, that he saw no challenge in it. Distributing death was effortless to him. No one could stop him. No one could hide from his reflection.

And then suddenly, as he was distracted in slight awe, Kagami felt the whir of blade whizzing past his face and recoiled just in time to save himself. He spun around; sword raised to discover that the captain who had called out to him, was advancing on him once again; barely giving him enough time to recover.

"Make no mistake," this foreign captain assured him, lunging forwards and with deft movements, began forcing Kagami back, "Kise is not the only monster in this army!" Kagami found himself grinning as he had the honour of crossing swords with the captain of a fierce army. The man was strong and tireless –not even bothered by the blazing heat of the sun. He was a year or two Kagami's senior, and had a look in his eyes that informed him that he was well broken-into in the ways of war.

Kagami found himself being pushed back towards the edge as Seirin slowly began to lose ground. The cries were deafening –the cries of men with cut ankles and bleeding hearts and those who toppled off the edge with the knowledge that they were going to die.

Without warning, the Kaijo captain suddenly broke through Kagami's guard; nicking his side and causing him to flinch. He stepped back to escape the follow-up thrust, only to discover that there was no ground left behind him. Horror dawned on him as his foot sank into thin air –he had misjudged how close to the edge of the Courtridge they were.

"Fall," his opponent commanded as he began to slowly fall back; arms flailing and chest exposed as he fought to regain his balance. He knew the death-strike was coming; perhaps as a mercy so that he could fade into death before his body broke on the gully floor. But as the dark haired captain drew back, suddenly his sword changed direction and he reeled backwards with a growl of pain as an arrow narrowly skimmed his shoulder. Had he not moved, it would have struck his throat.

And as Kagami felt his weight dragging him down, a chain shot out from nowhere and wound itself tightly around his wrist. His eyes widened in surprise.

_Kuroko_.

He gripped the chain in that hand and there was an almighty tug that jerked him from the edge and back into the fray. That captain, having moved back to a safer distance, stared in shock as the chain disappeared back into the crowd of people.

"…Kagami-kun…you're heavy…" Kagami could've sworn he heard from somewhere near him, but when he looked, he failed to catch sight of the Shadow.

"We have monsters of our own," he growled to the captain before him, spying the arrow that had grazed him lying nearby. He could tell that it was one of Hyuga's. "My captain won't miss next time." He lunged forwards again, aiming for his enemy's weakened side but was still stopped.

But it was not by the captain's blade.

Kagami spun around and leapt back –careful to avoid the edge, as he finally came face-to-face with Kise Ryouta; the Mirror, Prince of the Sun, and one of the Five Commanders of Miracles. He was smiling.

"I'll handle him, Kasamatsu, sir," he informed his captain brightly. Kasamatsu seemed about to berate him, but nodded once and vanished off into the swirling masses of bodies. Kagami turned to face Kise, who had apparently discarded his horse and was fighting on foot.

Somehow, as though knowing that something was about to go down, the armies parted for them; no men daring to enter the small circle that the two of them stood within.

Kagami began to circle left. Kise followed him, watching him with cunning eyes that contrasted with the carefree smile he was wearing. There was something terribly dangerous about this man, and the redhead loved it.

He struck first; a fast, backhand attack aimed at Kise's knees, and when he blocked, he immediately whipped his blade across to the other side of his sword and knocked the Mirror's blade back, his third strike intended to gouge a horizontal wound across the blonde's gut.

But Kise was fast and the third strike whipped harmlessly through thin air. Then, it was Kagami's turn to defend as the blonde turned on him and, with the exact same technique –the fast, deft strokes –that he had faced against Kasamatsu.

Two of them landed –if only slightly; one grazing his outer thigh and the other nicking his elbow. They weren't deep, but they stung and drew blood.

They traded simple blows for what felt like eons –trying to slip through the other's guard. Around them, chaos reigned and screams echoed through the gully. And slowly, Kagami began to give ground.

Suddenly, Kise attacked again; a heavy strike aimed at his knees. Quickly, he lowered his sword to block, and realised too late, as his sword was flung wide by his own technique, that he had again fallen to Kise's reflection. The third attack came faster than he anticipated, and he only just managed to parry, his sword held awkwardly and the blade nearly pressed against his body.

The blonde's eyes narrowed gleefully, and used his altered balance to trip him with the flat of his blade. Kagami toppled; a red tower falling amidst a sea of blue. Kise rained down strikes on Kagami as he struggled to regain his footing. There were bodies all around him and the ground was both sticky with old blood and slippery with new. It was all he could do to turn aside the sword assailing him.

"I'm disappointed," Kise suddenly remarked, stepping back a pace with a yawn, having apparently decided that he was tired of chasing a worm in the dirt. "I wanted to see what kind of man had Kurokocchi saying such strange things." He sounded cheated as he shrugged. "Look around you." He gestured with his gleaming sword, and Kagami snuck a glance around him. There were dead men all around him, many of them his comrades. Seirin was being pushed back across the Courtridge.

"You're going to lose," Kise informed him coldly, "You may have broken our line…you may have exceeded my Battlemaster's expectations…but there is no way that you can win."

That was when Kagami started laughing.

It was a booming bark that rang out across the plains. Hyuga, upon his horse, heard that laugh, like he had heard it upon the Highway, and felt fire boiling in his blood as he listened. Gripping his bow tightly, he quickly strung and arrow, and sent it flying seconds later into the throat of Kaijo's standard-bearer.

The banner of the rising sun began to fall.

"Crush them to dust!" Hyuga shouted out aggressively, and a cheer went up, drowning out that inhuman laughter that still pierced the air.

Kagami, still grinning, tossed aside the old sword he had been until this point, wielding.

"Surrendering?" Kise inquired curiously, but shrugged, "I'll make your death quick, I swear. I understand that with the odds so stacked against you, you might –"

"You don't understand at all," Kagami snickered in a deep rumble, his voice becoming rough as he tore off his cloak and reached over his shoulder. He looked up into Kise's golden gaze and saw the Mirror's eyes widen in astonishment and something perhaps akin to confusion when he personally saw the ferocity awakened in those red eyes.

In one swift movement, Kagami had gripped the handle of his huge broadsword and torn it from its sheath at his back, stabbing the point down into a corpse lying at his feet. The blade slid in without resistance and he couldn't help but grin at the feeling of his rightful sword back in his hand.

"…It's better if I can't win."

Kise just stared.

And then Kagami attacked.

It was obvious that the blonde had expected the giant sword to make him sluggish –for he could see that it was a heavy blade –and weapons with so much destructive force were usually difficult to wield and difficult to manoeuvre.

But that sword moved through the air effortlessly, and it was all Kise could do to keep his head atop his body.

Staggering backwards and panting in shock, he touched his throat, to find that his hand came away with blood. There it was; a tiny graze on his neck, that had his reflexes been any worse, would've been a mortal wound. The surprise was still evident in his face as Kagami lunged forwards again. It was impossible to move with this speed and unusual grace with a weapon of that size!

But Kise's gaze hardened and his smile became a smirk as he met the heavy blow. The sound of swords clashing rose up through the air, and the two of them danced.

* * *

Blood was washing over the edges of the Courtridge. The blue shirts of the Kaijo warriors were stained a deep red. Seirin was pushing back –refusing to give more ground. Soldiers of the Kingdom of the Sun were falling.

Hyuga and his archers were sticking their enemies full of arrows; giving as good as they were getting; Mitobe and his huge scythe were carving great swathes from the ranks ahead of him; Koganei beating off the arrows and Izuki fighting at his back.

Neither army would yield.

Moving through both armies, there was one man who went unnoticed. Kuroko walked as a ghost between the warring pairs; slashing at ankles and letting his chain tighten around the throats of his enemies. But now, he stopped; to stare at the duel that he knew would change the course of this battle –and change the fate of Seirin.

Both Kagami and Kise were grinning, he noticed. Kise had always smiled, but there had always been something wily and cunning hidden behind the grin that Kuroko had been wary of. But the blonde now…he was focused, and he was happy. The cunning was gone and replaced with a determination that he hadn't seen from his old comrade in years –the kind of determination that only comes from fighting a worthy opponent; in a duel where the outcome is unknown.

But the pair of them were stuck in a stalemate. They were both tiring. The battle had dragged on, and the sun had grown high and was in the early hours of its descent. The strange mist in the air that had painted the sunrise crimson was still lingering in the sky, and Kuroko knew that this needed to end.

He had promised Kagami that he would help him become the greatest swordsman in the land. He had vowed to defeat the Five Commanders of Miracles, and that started here, today –with Kise Ryouta; the Mirror.

There was one person whose techniques he could not reflect –and that was the man who he couldn't see.

Kagami knew it too, and he had been waiting; pushing through his pants and ignoring his aching limbs. He had heard the strangled cries of men gasping for breath; heard them drawing closer. He could now recognise the sound of a man screaming as his ankles were torn, and knew that Kuroko was nearby.

His body suddenly filled with new strength, he lunged again; Kise barely managing to turn aside the attack. The rush he was feeling was incredible. He didn't even care that he was bleeding. The pain was dulled by the thrill of fighting an opponent like this. He could die. He could die at any moment. And that, rather than terrifying him, excited him.

Not that he intended on dying anytime soon.

With one unbalancing blow, Kagami shoved Kise backwards with a hoarse yell of, "Kuroko!" Kise's eyes widened at the call, and turned, too late, to find a chain flying straight for him.

Unable to react in time, he felt it wind around his throat unbearably tightly, and he followed its length through the fray to spy the familiar, pale face at the other end; electric blue eyes determined and almost frightening. There was remorse but no hesitation in his eyes as Kuroko yanked the chain taut.

Kagami, with a wild roar that seemed like it shook the Courtridge, struck once more as Kise, distracted, fought for air. Even being slowly suffocated, Kise was still a soldier, and he brought his blade up once more to block.

The force from such a blow sent a ripple of shock up his arm and then on through his entire body. His wrist shook from the sheer power, and the blade clattered away uselessly. The chain began to fall away slack –withdrawn by Kuroko, and golden eyes widened as Kise understood why.

Kagami's last blow had not only disarmed him; the force from it had sent him staggering off balance –and now he was teetering on the slippery edge of the Courtridge.

_Kise-kun cannot reflect what he cannot see_. That was what Kuroko had told him. But Kagami knew one thing more.

_Even the sun falls. _

Kise Ryouta felt himself falling, as he had never fallen before. For some reason, he felt weightless –like he could almost reach up and be lifted into the sky. It was strange, he realised, that defeat felt like this –for he had been defeated. Had that been Kagami's intent the whole time? To drive him to the edge, as Kasamatsu had driven him?

Gold eyes stared up at the sky, far above, and he reached out a hand –almost as if to touch it. But the sky wasn't blue now –wasn't that deep, perfect sapphire that he loved, and had always wished to see as he died. It was red.

It was red, and there was ash in the wind.

And he wasn't flying. He wasn't weightless; he was falling.

In the back of his mind, he congratulated Kagami. He saw Kuroko, and all the rest. He wondered if he would feel his body breaking as it clattered to the earth

Then suddenly, he felt his body jerk to a halt, and his descent to the dark gully floor ended abruptly. Startled to find something clamped around his wrist, he peered upwards, and against the red sky, saw a tanned, blood-stained face staring down at him with a wide grin. The sounds of fighting had stopped.

"What…" Kise whispered in shock; staring at the thick hand that had caught him and saved him from plummeting to his death.

"We're swordsmen," Kagami reminded him with a smirk. "We die by a sword or not at all." And then, as Kise felt his body quake in shock, he felt himself being lifted up by some inhuman strength, and pulled away from the edge, to sit in a pool of blood; defeated. A few of the Kaijo soldiers who hadn't frozen in horror, made to advance on the staring Seirin troops.

"Pull back!" a stern voice called out from Kaijo's ranks, and Kagami and Kise both looked up to see Kasamatsu limping forwards. "I said _pull back_," he commanded, when his men appeared to be confused by the order. Bitterly, he glanced over at the fallen Prince; a monster humbled to a man. "…This fight is over."

Kagami lowered his blade and allowed the captain to approach his stunned subordinate. Kise was kneeling at Kagami's feet, his hands gripping the bloodied dirt and tears pouring down his handsome face.

"Kise," Kasamatsu crooned unusually gently, as he stooped.

"I lost…" Kise whispered, his voice full of disbelief. Men of both armies were staring as suddenly, Kasamatsu whacked him on the back of his head and forced him to look up.

"Of course you've lost," he snarled, "…But get used to it. Though eventually we may take the war, we don't all win every battle."

Kasamatsu looked across at Kagami as he dragged the dejected Kise to his feet.

"Victory is yours today," he informed him haughtily. "And Kise owes you his life." Kise snivelled like a child and wiped away a handful of tears. "…We were sent here to test you. Consider yourselves to have passed." He gestured at the bloodied battleground around them. "I ask your blessing to leave in peace."

"Don't speak to him as though he captains this army," a cold voice remarked flatly, and Kagami turned to see Hyuga striding over after dismounting his horse. "Kasamatsu Yukio, I believe?" Kasamatsu nodded once, as the army of Kaijo began to retreat, as dictated by their captain's orders.

"Our champion was defeated, and spared by your man," he informed Hyuga with all the dignity of one retreating could muster. "You have proved your worth. We'll have no quarrel with you until we meet again at the Centre."

"Very well," Hyuga agreed, to the surprise of so many of his subordinates. There was uproar at him deciding to let their enemy go after so many of their comrades lay dead around them. Hyuga silenced them with a single look. "Izuki, spread the word around the ranks. Kaijo is to pass back to their own lands unhindered." His eyes grew sad. "…Enough have died today." Kasamatsu nodded once.

"For what it's worth…" he remarked –as one captain to another, "…I am sorry for your loss."

"Such is the way of war," Hyuga replied darkly. "Now leave." Once more, Kasamatsu nodded, and began dragging Kise off after their fellows, who were retrieving their dead.

"The spoils of the dead are yours to claim," Kaijo's defeated captain called back to him as they left, and then looked over his shoulder with a glint in his eyes, "…But make no mistake, there will be no repeat of this."

Seirin too, began to retreat from the blood-stained Courtridge. As soon as Kaijo was far enough away, Kagami fell to his knees; clutching at his side as finally, pain began to take over his body. His dark shirt was drenched in his own blood. Hyuga frowned and helped him gather himself up as several of the nearest soldiers began muttering mutinously about this abrupt end of the battle.

"Do not wish for more of war," the Captain snarled darkly, and they recoiled, collecting their injured and making their way back to the plains, "…With their champion defeated, their morale would have fallen. There's no telling which of us would've won, but had we continued, then both forces would have been decimated; and Kaijo still has to cross back to the east." His expression darkened as someone added, "…We still should've struck while they were unprepared..."

"…And what of it?" Hyuga growled, "…Both of us being destroyed, or both of us living to fight again? I know which I prefer. And besides…" He sighed and looked to the south. "Other kingdoms will hear of this. The eyes of spiders and birds everywhere." He paused, his voice cold.

"And the next time we face Kaijo…they will know to fear us."

* * *

"Sir…not to question you…" one of Kasamatsu's officers remarked with a frown as they began to hurriedly clear their dead; leaving the weapons and shields behind as Seirin deserved, "…But we still have the strength to fight them. They foolishly allowed Kise to live. We should take them and their kingdom now, while their –"

"No…" Kise murmured, a smile gracing his tear-stained face, "No…let them live."

…Are you growing sentimental?" the man scoffed as Kise looked back, and caught sight of a pale figure staring after him from the centre of the bridge.

"Maybe…" he admitted quietly, "Or maybe I am just seeing that perhaps I was wrong." He chuckled to himself. He coughed and clutched at his throat. Breathing was coming to him with difficulty.

_Perhaps, Kurokocchi, you truly have found a man with the power to stand with you against the Five_.

"Let them live," he repeated softly, "Seirin will become strong. I want to see how they grow. I owe them that much." He chuckled and looked off towards the west. The sun was still on its descent, but from the ash still lingering in the air, the red glow cast across the land made it appear as though it was setting.

So this was the beginning of Seirin's power?

He was glad that he had been there to witness it.

* * *

"What do your eyes see?" the tall man inquired as he wheeled his horse to face the north. His short companion was squinting into the distance, but he shook his head with a heavy sigh.

"We arrived too late," he replied in disappointment, "Shame; I know you were looking forward to watching the battle." He glanced across at the solemn man sitting on the horse across from him; a huge longbow resting at his back. "Kaijo fell, but the champion still stands."

"Interesting," was the only response he was graced with.

" –Their camp is only a short ride off," he informed him lightly, "…If you had wanted to visit your friend, then it would be little trouble. After all this time, I'm sure he –"

"Make no mistake…" his companion assured him coldly, "We were not friends…

"But I will speak with him nonetheless."

* * *

**And there we have it! Seirin has gained their first small victory against another kingdom. But it is only the first. Campaigning for the Centre will not be an easy task, and this was only a taste of what is to come. What lands will they cross into? Who else shall they meet, and will they possess the might to overcome them? **

**I'd love to hear from you, but thanks for reading anyway!  
xx K**


	6. Warning

**Seirin's first victory, and against a Commander, no less. But Kaijo is not the only kingdom that Seirin should fear. . . **

* * *

There were very mixed murmurs floating through what remained of Kaijo's scouting company. The men who still lived had fought their way from east to west; passing through many kingdoms and fighting many battles. Some were relieved that finally, their mission was complete and they could return to the Kingdom of the Sun to mourn their fallen comrades and prepare for war. Others were disgruntled that their captain had so easily bowed to a sub-par army in the Wastelands, thinking that though a dishonourable option, they should have shattered Seirin during the ceasefire.

But Kasamatsu had demanded that those men keep their opinions to themselves. Kaijo had a reputation of honour, and he was not about to shame the honourable captains that had commanded before him. Seirin had defeated their champion and let him walk free, and after all, their purpose was to test the might of other kingdoms –not to destroy them. There was talk of regrouping and then marching on their capital, but again, Kasamatsu and his officers turned aside these rumours. Seirin's captain had graciously allowed them to return to their homeland without more violence, and though still new to command, Kasamatsu knew that life was more preferable to death.

"I can't believe we're going home," Kise remarked quietly, as though he was still coming to terms with it. His captain, stalking alongside him, frowned darkly as he added, "It seems like a long time since I've seen the east."

"And it will be a long time more," Kasamatsu reminded him, "We still have to travel through other kingdoms, and our forces are depleted."

"Don't worry, sir," Kise smiled –a true smile that his captain had very rarely seen; instead having grown used to the false grin with the wicked glint in his golden eyes. "…I'll make sure we all get home." Kasamatsu's expression softened and he patted the blonde on the shoulder gratefully.

"We'll depart when the men are rested," he informed him, "We should not have trouble from anything other than wild beasts tonight, so sleep. It's a long way home." Kise nodded gratefully as his captain vanished off into the sea of blue tents to check in on the wounded that had been carried back from the Courtridge.

The blonde wandered back to his own tent in the waning sunlight; his heart for some reason feeling unusually light despite the weight of defeat still crushing him. He could still feel his body hanging in mid-air as he waited to fall; could still see burning red eyes glinting down at him as a man hauled him back from the abyss.

_Why had he saved him? _

Why had those eyes seemed almost to smile at him like an old friend, when they had been trying to kill each other only moments before? Victory was all Kise had known; it was all that had been drilled into him when he commanded Teiko –and to achieve victory, you had to smite down your enemies so that they could never rise again.

It was while he was lost in thought that he happened to glance up at the sky as he approached his tent.

The rising sun banner of Kaijo was fluttering in the late afternoon breeze, and it warmed his heart to see it –but there was something different about the flag. On closer inspection, he noted that it was pierced with an arrow.

With a frown marring his handsome face, he peered around at the surrounding landscape. None of the men had reported signs of strangers within firing range of the camp. The arrow would not belong to Seirin –they were too far from their forces and their captain would not have risked another fight. And it was not one of their own; they fletched their arrows with white feathers –and this one…

"Moriyama, sir," Kise called out suddenly to one of the passing officers. The tall, thin veteran looked across at him with a calm but blood-stained expression. "I'm heading out of camp for a moment. Don't tell the Captain, please? He'll kick me."

"You'd deserve it," Moriyama reminded him flatly, "…The fight is over, Kise. You should be glad of the rest."

"There's…something I have to confirm," he informed him quietly, and the officer was so stunned to see a solemn Kise that he sighed and nodded shortly.

"Be back before nightfall and I'll have no need to tell the Captain," he assured him with a shrug, waving him off, "But do not get yourself into mischief. You were not spared today to fall foul of a beast."

"Me? Getting into mischief?" Kise remarked lightly, and Moriyama wondered if he was making a mistake in letting the blonde go wandering in the Wastelands. But he had struck a deal and the Mirror was already skipping off through the tents to locate himself a horse.

Kise rode out into the Wastelands, already seeing a small rise in the distance. That was where he would be. He recognised that arrow; long and powerful and fletched with green –how could he forget? There was a time when fields were strewn with them, commanders and captains and officers lying in pools of blood with those shafts square between their eyes.

* * *

"I know you're here!" he hollered as his horse slowly began to ascend the small hill, only to stumble on the loose dirt. Kise, determined to reach the top, leapt off the beast and quickly began scrabbling his way up to the top. He stumbled as he approached the apex and wound up crawling the last few feet on his knees.

Once there, he felt a shadow fall across him, and he smiled to himself.

"…I knew it," he chuckled.

"I told you so many times, Kise," a cold, haughty voice remarked from above. The blonde looked up with a small smirk, spying a familiar pale face framed by startling green hair, with stern eyes of deepest emerald. "The Gods have decreed that the sun shall rise in the east, and always, it will set in the west."

"Midorimacchi."

"…They may call you the Mirror, and Prince of the Sun you may be, but mirrors crack, Princes fall and the sun fades into darkness," the newcomer droned distastefully, "The west could only ever hold defeat for you. You should not have come to these lands."

Kise laughed now, and picked himself up, dusting off his dirty garments to look up into the eyes of one of his old comrades; one of the Five Commanders of Miracles: Midorima Shintaro.

"Now, now; so serious! Is that any way to greet an old friend?" he inquired lightly, inspecting the stoic, sharp features of a man he hadn't seen in over three years. Midorima hadn't changed much; but his eyes had become much harder and laced with disdain.

"Make no mistake, Kise, we were not friends," he replied haughtily, his mouth curled down into a scowl. Kise shrugged with a simpering pout; he had long since grown used to Midorima's indifference to those around him.

"You saw the battle then?" he inquired quietly, his eyes softening as he looked away.

"No," was Midorima's response, "I arrived late. But I was well aware of your defeat long before the battle began." Kise frowned over at him, about to wonder aloud how he could know something that had not yet come to pass.

"Oh…the sun setting in the west," he realised, in reference to Midorima's dark greeting. "Coincidence, Midorimacchi. I am not the sun itself." He chuckled at the thought. The green-eyed man just turned to the west to watch as the sun began to sink.

"…The Gods speak in riddles," he reminded him, "It is up to those who listen to decipher their words and apply meaning. The ash in the air reddened the sunrise this day; so too, I knew that the Kingdom of Ashes would bloody the Kingdom of the Sun." Kise just shook his head in disbelief and sighed heavily.

"Why did you come to the Wastelands?" he inquired, "Your kingdom lies south, and you ride with no company. It's still the winter months –you risked a lot coming this far."

"The Winter Thaw comes early this year," Midorima replied haughtily, "And I had heard tell of Kaijo's advance."

"You came to see me?" Kise remarked hopefully.

"Never," he snorted, and the blonde's face fell dejectedly, "…The Gods indicated that there was purpose in me riding north. I believe it was to speak with you. That and…I was intrigued to see the growth of Kuroko."

"Ahh…" Kise's light voice suddenly became thick with warning, "Beware of him, Midorimacchi. A storm is rising with Seirin, and you would do well to tread carefully. They will grow strong. Even you might fall to them."

"I do not like Kuroko," Midorima growled coldly, "He is a shadow and I cannot hunt a shadow. And I certainly do not fear him." He scoffed aloud and folded his arms, "…And Kise, you may think that Seirin is rising, but do not forget that storms blow over. Its ash may rise on the wind, but ultimately, it shall be scattered like the dust it is. Besides, the only unending storm lies far to the south, with _him_." Kise shuddered unconsciously as a chill ran down his spine.

"That may be so," he admitted quietly, "…But if your Gods really did send you to me, then they intended you to hear my warning. Disbelieve all you like, but you will face them one day, and you will see."

"I will not fall to likes of Kuroko and his little army," Midorima assured him arrogantly, "I follow the Gods, and as long as I obey their will, there is no way I will fall."

"Yours aren't the only gods," Kise chuckled, "Just the First. And you may not be the only one they favour." He shrugged as Midorima's expression remained as unreadable as ever and began to descend the hill once more towards his waiting horse –his curiosity sated. "…It's good to see you again, Midorimacchi. Good luck for your campaign –I'm sure we'll meet again."

"…Indeed," Midorima replied coldly, "Though, Kise…" The blonde looked back over his shoulder at the tall, intimidating man standing upon the hill in his loose, brown clothing and dark cloak. "You would speak with Kuroko?"

"I would," Kise nodded with a small smile, "But he will be far from here."

"Ride west," he advised stiffly, "You will find him. If you wish to speak with him, it should be done now –before we must war with each other again. And do not speak of me; we never got along, he and I."

"I know," he admitted, laughing openly at that, "In another world, I do wish we'd all been friends."

"I do not share the sentiment."

Brushing off Midorima's abrasive farewell, Kise mounted his horse again and wondered whether he should ride back to his camp or make west while he could. Moriyama had said he would give him until nightfall, which wasn't too far off, but he reckoned he could count on him to stall Kasamatsu a while longer.

As Kise rode off westwards, Midorima heard the sound of a horse whickering impatiently from nearby. He didn't bother turning as a shorter man, leading two horses, joined him upon the mound and followed his companion's gaze towards the white horse galloping with the sunset.

" –You didn't need to jump off your horse and run like that!" he complained crossly, tossing the reins to Midorima, who flinched as they batted him in the side of the face. "I know the terrain's not great, but they would've made it eventually –"

"Quiet, Takao," Midorima scolded firmly, and the short, dark-haired man clamped his mouth shut mutinously as he clambered back up into the saddle.

"Well, whatever you felt was important enough to leave me stranded in the rocky barrens with two struggling horses; I hope it was worth it," Takao Kazunari grumbled.

"In time, we shall see," was Midorima's only response. Takao let out a sigh and folded his arms as his comrade leapt back into the saddle in one swift movement and turned his back on the Wastelands.

"We're headed home," he declared.

"Great," Takao rolled his eyes, now used to Midorima's orders and ramblings and above all, his selfish disregard for the comfort of others, "More snow and ice. Shin-chan, next time you want to ride half a world away, ask someone else to accompany you. This is the last time." That was what he said, but they were merely words. He knew that should Midorima order him to follow –he would never _ask _–even to the depths of the storming south, follow he would.

"Don't speak such nonsense," he replied coolly, glancing sideways with scathing green eyes, "And don't call me that." Takao couldn't help but chuckle helplessly and responded with a small, lopsided smile. There seemed to be a new kind of wariness in Midorima's eyes, and he couldn't help but wonder what he had heard from the man he had ventured here to see –not that he would ask, knowing that he would likely not tell him.

But in any case, he found Kaijo's defeat unexpected (even if Midorima had claimed it from the start). It seemed that the war for the Centre was going to grow interesting.

* * *

Kuroko sipped tentatively at the ale placed in front of him. It was bitterer than he was expecting, and tasted faintly of dirt –much like everything did in this wasteland. He sighed, frowning to himself and held the mug gently in both hands. He didn't know what had possessed him to sneak from the company and visit this tavern in the middle of nowhere. He found it unusual a place like this even existed here. Then again, it was close to the south –and in the warm months would prove to have much to gain from mercenaries and bandits and soldiers traversing the area.

But for now, there was only a small group of men sitting in the corner, making merry the best they could with what coin they had. From the snatches of conversation he'd managed to overhear, it seemed as though one of the men was to be married soon, and so he and his fellows had ridden from one of Seirin's small villages to celebrate –trading produce with the barkeep for drinks.

The door opened; letting in a cool draft and kicking up dust that came to settle in Kuroko's drink. He looked up from under his hood to see a familiar, but thoroughly confusing sight strolling in –still clad in the bloodied garments of the day's skirmish.

"Kise-kun," he greeted cordially, pushing back his hood with a frown that he hoped expressed his displeasure at having run into him so soon after the battle. The bartender's eyes grew round with shock at seeing someone who could only be a lordling, actually entering his tavern. Kise made a beeline for Kuroko, having recognised his voice instantly. The blonde settled down at the table and eyes Kuroko's dark expression thoughtfully. The bartender hurriedly brought over a mug of the dirty ale and Kise pressed a gold coin to his hands; a handsome tip indeed.

"I had hoped I'd find you," Kise remarked conversationally, as though they hadn't been waging war only hours ago. "You always did like to sneak off after a battle. Though I never understood how ale settled your stomach." Kuroko just wordlessly took another sip, blue eyes never leaving Kise's face.

"…You have no business being here," he finally remarked, with a touch of ice to his voice, "If my company sees you –"

"They won't," he assured him quickly, "And I'm not looking for trouble."

"That may be so…" Kuroko muttered into his drink, "…But it always finds you…" Kise laughed.

"I didn't get a chance to say…" he admitted, when he had become solemn once more. "…Your swordsman…I was impressed. You still choose your allies well, I see."

"Kise-kun; by the time Teiko fell, we were barely allies."

"…So you say," Kise chuckled with a shrug and a sigh, "…Kurokocchi…I understand what you saw in him. There is…" He pondered a moment to find the right words, "…There is a power about him, I admit. And you believe that he is different from us, correct?"

"Indeed."

"Ahh, so naïve and full of foolish ideals," Kise sighed wistfully, "I wish I was still like that –I wish I still believed in those stories we used to love. You remember them, right?"

"Of course."

"We grew out of our innocence, Kurokocchi," he reminded Kuroko, with a touch of sadness to his voice, " –Those romantic notions of love and heroes and beggars becoming kings…we learned that those weren't real. I see that you still believe –and because of that, you truly think that he is different."

"I am not a child, Kise-kun."

"I said no such thing," Kise reminded him in a teasing voice, before his voice became grave again. "…You think he can stand against us, and he may yet prove to have the power to. But remember what happened to us, Kurokocchi. Deep down, you know that he will become like us –"

"No," Kuroko interrupted firmly, "I do not believe that Kagami-kun will become like all of you. We _will_ defeat the Five and save Seirin." Kise admired Kuroko's passion at least, but his golden eyes grew sad that his old friend still thought that there were heroes that could resist the lure of power.

"If he has the power to defeat us, the day will come when he no longer needs companions to stand beside him," he added darkly, "And again, you as a shadow, will have no light."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Kise," a voice scoffed from behind the blonde, and Kise turned in surprise to see Kagami himself standing behind him with his arms folded and an eyebrow quirked mockingly. Neither he nor Kuroko had heard him enter. "If you think I will ever become like you, then you're delusional." Kise blinked in surprise, turning to face him and not noticing that Kuroko was currently eyeing what appeared to be an argument going on in the corner between the merrymakers and few newcomer thugs.

"What are you doing here?" Kise inquired, startled.

"I could ask you the same thing," Kagami snorted, "I came to look for Kuroko. One of the officers said they saw him heading this way. I didn't think I'd find _you_ here." Kise chuckled to himself as he stood to stare him in the eye.

"I was curious," he admitted, cocking his head inquisitively, "…I'm glad you found me, actually. I truly wanted to know why you saved my life today." Kagami seemed a little taken aback by the question, as though his answer of swordsmen dying only by swords should have been sufficient.

"…I came to this land looking for strong enemies," he answered, when it became apparent that Kise was waiting intently for an answer. "You were the first I found, and it would've been a shame to let you fall so disgracefully. When I die –_if_ I die –" he corrected mockingly, " –I want it to be honourably, with a blade in my chest and my head high so I can see the man who defeated me; dying as a champion. You deserve the same." Kise wondered if it was perhaps a touch of arrogance that had led the redhead to spare him, but he was thankful, all the same.

"I don't understand," he admitted with a sigh, surveying the man before him with an intrigued eye, "If you had let me fall…you could have taken Kaijo. You might have stood in good stead to claim the east –"

"Tch," Kagami scoffed with a smirk, "I don't care about that. I don't care about claiming kingdoms and winning land. In the beginning, I was only out to prove myself, but now Kuroko and my comrades have put their faith in me –they're the ones who have a kingdom to save –and who am I to disappoint them?" Kise's stunned expression softened as he listened to Kagami's words. He chuckled slightly and recalled his conversation earlier with Midorima.

Sure, storms blew over, and only one raged eternally in these lands, but for some, even if eventually the winds quietened and the rain stopped, who could say if the world would remain unchanged?

Rivers could flow, the seas could rise, mountains be beaten down; people dead or surviving to grow stronger, sands shifted and even the rocks left crumbling.

Perhaps Kuroko had found a partner to raise than kind of storm with. Only time would tell.

They were suddenly distracted by the sound of raised voices over in the corner. Their gazes whipped across, to suddenly see Kuroko go flying across the room as he was bodily flung by some huge ruffian. Kise and Kagami exchanged glances; having spied the terrified villagers helping Kuroko to his feet. Laughing a little to themselves, they rolled their necks and headed over to 'resolve' the conflict.

* * *

A handful of Kise's gold coins were enough to placate the barkeep for the damage caused to his furniture. He ran a hand through his hair to settle it back into place as he and Kagami surveyed the ruffians lying in a crumpled, bruised heap at their feet outside the tavern. Kise toed one of them distastefully as Kagami berated Kuroko for starting a brawl. Gold eyes were filled with a smile as he watched them.

"I should be getting back," he remarked conversationally, and his voice caught their attention. "…We finally get to go home." He couldn't help but smile at the thought. _Home_. Kagami straightened up and nodded to him in acknowledgement as Kise retrieved his horse and leapt up into the saddle. He guided it past them with one of his friendly waves and met the redhead's gaze evenly, with a touch of determination.

"…Grow stronger, Kagamicchi –and we'll fight again," he promised, "Just you wait. I'll get my revenge for this defeat!"

"_Kagamicchi_?" Kagami exploded incredulously.

" –Kise-kun insists on giving nicknames to people he acknowledges," Kuroko explained flatly –apparently also displeased.

"Well _don't_," he growled in disapproval, but Kise just laughed lightly and set his horse into a gallop as he headed off into the night, leaving Kagami and Kuroko peering after him in the dust. Sure, Kise was an enemy, but Kagami found that he respected him as a fellow swordsman –and for that, it was difficult to hate him, despite his somewhat irritating personality.

"His _revenge_?" Kagami snorted incredulously, as soon as he was out of earshot.

"…There's nothing like a wounded ego to fuel a man's desire to win," Kuroko remarked vaguely. Kagami nodded in agreement, only to notice that Kuroko was looking pointedly at him. "Oi! What's that look for?" Kuroko just smiled secretively to himself, and left Kagami to fume over what he assumed was an insult.

But, as Kagami looked up into the night sky, he couldn't help but grin.

_Kise Ryouta_.

Yes, he would grow stronger, and they would someday fight again. But he wasn't the only one he desired to cross weapons with. There were four other legendary Commanders out there with reputations as being more monsters than men; their strength unparalleled.

And he couldn't wait to face them. It was said that they had never been defeated, and he intended to change that.

* * *

**The Campaign is set to begin any month now. Kagami may get the fights he seeks sooner than he thinks, and Seirin shall seek to prove that they have gone underestimated for too long now. War is brewing. **

**Thanks for reading, thanks for keeping up, thanks for reviewing! Hope you are enjoying!  
Much love,  
xx K**


	7. South

**The first trial is over, but there will always be more. When Seirin ventures southwards, what will they find?**

* * *

There were no cheers of victory. Though the day had been won, the looks upon the faces of the men of Seirin were not those of victors. Instead, as they stumbled from the depths of the stony labyrinth, they appeared defeated.

Riko did not try to offer them kind words; she knew nothing she could say could ease the pain of the death trap that they had faced in the Kingdom of Stone. It had been worse than a war zone in those winding, rocky paths, and she knew that there were men in there of hers that had strayed, and would likely never leave.

Slowly, their army was spilling from the mouth of the labyrinth and out onto the plains. They were sticking close to the high, rocky walls that marked the borders of Seiho; Kingdom of Stone –because though they had faced a massacre within its walls and twisting passages, it had become familiar. And now, she knew that they desperately needed something to cling to.

Her horse turned and whickered softly, and she looked back to see Hyuga riding towards her slowly. He was covered in blood, and he looked tired. His quiver was empty, but he was still whole, and that made her weary heart glad.

"…We got our revenge," he murmured to her as they dismounted together to begin setting up camp. "We finally defeated them."

"At a heavy cost," she muttered, shaking her head darkly. She wondered if it had been too much; asking her men to march through the warrens when she knew they had been so deadly.

"You made the right decision," Hyuga assured her, wiping the blood from his brow with his sleeve, "If we had not faced them now, we would have later, and they're not gallant enough to allow us rest…" His voice was tinged with bitterness and she laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"That's all in the past," she reminded him, "…We defeated them, didn't we? Tsugawa and Seiho will not bother us again." Hyuga nodded and sighed heavily, gazing out across the thorny field before them, and onwards towards the trees that loomed up against the sky in the distance.

It was mid-spring now, and with the change in seasons came the sharpening of swords and the sound of men readying for war. The men of Seirin had been among them. They had taken the swords and the shields and the armour of the fallen Kaijo warriors –as Kasamatsu had decreed was their right, and they had readied themselves for the march south.

And to their south, lay the Three Kings.

Senshinkan, the westernmost; Seiho, the easternmost, and Shutoku between; they were the powerhouses of the lands to the west of the Centre. If ever they united their lands and their strength, which had never happened, and likely never would, then they would control almost the entire west. But, because they were so powerful, the Three; some of the oldest Kingdoms in the land, had fought forever to hold the title of King of the West.

Kagami and Kuroko had sat in on their last meeting, when Riko had announced that she intended for them to march through Seiho. The redhead's eyes had noticed the way his captain's hands had gripped the table too tightly, and Izuki and Mitobe looked distinctly unsettled. Their eyes were laced with bitterness that he knew came with defeat, but he had questioned them nonetheless. If Kuroko had been interested, he had said nothing.

"They shattered us, during our last campaign," Hyuga had informed him, because it was better that this rash fighter knew the strength they would be up against. "We were broken already, running through the mines that tunnel from the south and surface in the mountains in Seiho's southeast. We thought that perhaps a victory against them would renew our hopes. We were wrong, and we were destroyed."

Beginning this campaign with an assault on Seiho, Riko had known was necessary. The men who had fought them and survived could not move past such a defeat, so she had offered them vengeance and now, when their heads were not bowed in mourning and fatigue, they could finally hold them high. The army needed a victory, and it needed one with meaning.

But it had been costly.

The labyrinths of Seiho were the reason why the kingdom itself had endured for so long. The legends of the First Gods said that it was once a mountain that collapsed when the Wheel of Fate turned, forming a natural maze amongst huge rock walls that seemed to climb into the sky. Entire armies had grown lost and been swallowed up. Others had been taken down by the Seiho army, who fought from within the walls of the labyrinth itself. The walls were hollow, with secret entrances and trapdoors, high above. Arrows would rain down on the narrow paths, and destroy intruders. It was a dangerous, dangerous road.

And many men had whispered thus, but Riko had walked those roads before –and more importantly, Izuki had. He and his eyes of an eagle could remember the way; the way they had managed to stumble their way across the entire land. He could remember where the arrows came from; where the hidden doors lay –for that was where Seiho's foot soldiers poured from.

Despite this, there had still been many casualties, though at least they had carved out a hole in Seiho's army to pay them back for the cruelty done to them during their last campaign. Kagami, having heard the story, was incensed.

One man, named Tsugawa, had mocked them from the walls –remembering when he and his comrades last chased them through the kingdom, relentless pursuing them. And he had made the mistake of taunting Kagami.

It was Kuroko, though, who had saved them first during the most recent battle. He had found one of the doors, and slipped inside, and the cries from inside the walls had been deafening. Seiho bodies tumbled from their high trapdoors; their throats slit and their last cries still on their lips. The walls had seemed to be crying blood.

Through that same door, that Kuroko had slipped, Kagami entered. He had near torn it down; seeking Tsugawa and slaying as he shouted. Seirin had stormed the walls, then, rooting out those who dwelled in its tunnels, and setting fear into them.

Tsugawa had been caught by Kagami and dangled from the highest trapdoor –and so very nearly he fell. It was only the gracious words of his captain that saved his life –and only because Iwamura deemed that the fight be done. He apologised for Tsugawa's words, and assured them, as Kasamatsu had done, that the spoils of the dead were theirs, and that they could pass through the labyrinths unhindered. With the captain's interference and yielding, Hyuga had demanded that the man be allowed to live.

Kagami did not understand, but did not argue, and had dragged the loudmouth back in to safety. The redhead had been very quiet for the rest of the ride.

And now, here they made camp, on the borders of Seiho and Shutoku. It had been a rough journey onwards after their battle, and though Seiho had not hindered them, it had offered them no help.

"Kagami-kun is restless," Kuroko's voice suddenly piped up, and Hyuga and Riko both reeled backwards in shock. He merely blinked at them; not offended at all by the reaction. He nodded over to where the huge swordsman was helping to make camp, but with a deep frown marring his features, "I believe he does not understand why Tsugawa was permitted to live."

"Tch…He doesn't know how the campaigns work in these lands," Hyuga muttered, once he had regained his footing, "There are too many kingdoms; too many enemies to risk pitting entire armies against each other before reaching the Centre. We will have to face skirmish after skirmish. Not all of these will end with one side completely dead…depending on who we face…" He shuddered, and Kuroko found himself feeling uneasy.

"There are still kingdoms that refuse surrender?" he inquired curiously, his own voice laced with a touch of sadness.

"Many," Hyuga nodded darkly, "…Some simply want to crush all resistance or to teach respect. Some desire land, so therefore choose to shatter their armies and then…There are those simply hell-bent on destruction." Kuroko averted his eyes politely. It was obvious that there was some pain in Hyuga's past related to men like those, and he did not wish to pry just now. But he understood.

Seirin could have decimated Seiho's army in the fight. They had broken into their walls; broken past their defence. It would not have taken long for the body count to climb, and Seiho would have been left very weak, and unable to defend themselves, let alone campaign. Rather than allow that, Captain Iwamura had decided to allow Seirin the victory by yielding. This left the remainder of his army intact; allowing his chance of taking the Centre to remain.

Seirin was lucky that Seiho and Kaijo had had captains with sense. Kuroko knew all too well that there were leaders out there for whom defeat was not an option; there were some with more bravery and pride than sense, and he knew even better that there were other men out there –terrifying men –who would never even consider the possibility of surrender.

Kuroko glanced over his shoulder at the men setting up camp. They hadn't even been allowed time to rejoice in their victory. The Kingdom of Thorns was rising up before them; a second King, and the current King of the West. They had suffered in Seiho's warrens, so no one was ready to make merry. There were arrows to deal out, armour to change, wounds to bandage –they'd at least managed to loot some better armour from the dead. Not that it would help, if he was correct in what he believed lay in the Shutoku forests.

* * *

There was a loud yawn from one of the highest trees on the edge of the forest. The man named Takao Kazunari lazily opened one eye as he relaxed back against the thin tree-trunk. He whistled languidly, and waited for the response.

"Takao! What are you doing out there?" a voice called out from deeper in, "Those trees are too thin for your weight –and they'll see you…"

"Unlikely," Takao shrugged back simply, nodding out across the field. "…Have you seen them, really? They're broken already, and so early in their campaign. Pity, really. Shin-chan was so looking forward to finally seeing his old friend, I'm sure. Where is he, anyway?"

"Praying to his Gods," the voice replied flatly, and Takao looked over his shoulder to see a handsome, light-haired man standing on one of the tall, thicker trees deeper in. _Miyaji_. Many of the officers tolerated Midorima's strange ways, but did not all approve of them -or his habit of doing as he pleased. "The Captain wanted him briefed, but the bastard wouldn't hear of it. He's become more wilful these days, Takao…"

"Ahh, Shin-chan does tend to do what he likes," he admitted with a snicker, clambering to his feet and tugging at the tough hooks on the palms of his gloved hands.

" –The Chief won't keep letting him," Miyaji warned him, "And the Captain –"

"I know how the Captain feels," Takao assured him with a shrug. "And let him feel that way. The Chief knows how to handle Shin-chan." Miyaji just sighed heavily as Takao took a flying leap from the branch he was standing on, to one next to it. He caught the tree trunk with his palms; the hooks digging in and ensuring that he held fast.

"You're as bad as he is, sometimes," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Who, me?" Takao chuckled, "…I just came out to see the challengers. Can't say I'm overly impressed…but I do love surprises."

"Back," Miyaji commanded flatly, "The others have already delivered their reports. We are allowing them a few days' grace. The rats in the labyrinth probably ran them down."

"Ever the gracious one, Captain Otsubo is," Takao chirped, dancing from branch to branch, high above the leaf litter, "And don't worry. Shin-chan will be prepared. I don't think he'd miss this for the world." His comrade didn't reply, just beckoned for him to fall back from the wings and re-join their company in the forest.

"…Also…you wouldn't have spotted it, but…" Takao remarked lightly, his eyes hardening in interest, "…Otsubo might be interested to know that we have a guest on our borders."

"What kind of guest?" Miyaji immediately demanded as they bounded through the trees –knowing with ease which were safe to land on, and shimmying up trunks with their hooked palms. Takao just shrugged innocently.

"Oh, nothing, just the sun," he replied, as if in jest.

"Find Midorima. We are preparing for battle –there is no time for jokes." In spite of his words, Takao laughed, and his grey eyes glinted playfully. So they were to do battle with Seirin…and the Prince of the Sun himself had come to bear witness? How very interesting. Perhaps there was more to this little kingdom of dust than he had first thought. They had survived Seiho, after all. The birds were whispering rumours that they had actually breached their stronghold –not to mention the joke of how one of the men; a red-haired swordsman from across the sea, had hung one of the officers by his feet from his own keep. He wondered if that was true. If so, he was very interested to meet the man –he wondered if Midorima was too.

* * *

"Shutoku will not be an easy enemy," Hyuga mused as he and Izuki poured over possible strategies by firelight. "The forests are dangerous and they have incredible archers, so I hear."

"So you _hear_?" Kagami remarked sceptically, "Have you never fought them?" He shook his head. "How dangerous can they be? It's just a forest, and they're just another army –"

"They are one of the Three Kings," Riko reminded him sharply, "They have endured centuries, if not thousands of years of warfare."

"They've been defeated before," Kagami retorted flatly, and was cuffed over the head by Hyuga for his disrespect. "I'm just saying…if they've lost to other kingdoms, then why not lose to us…"

"They have one of the Commanders."

That was Kuroko, who had spoken up. No one was sure whether the shock they felt was from his sudden arrival or from his words. No one spoke for a long moment, just staring at him and trying to figure out if he was playing some cruel joke.

"I'd heard that too…" Riko finally murmured quietly, "…That Midorima Shintaro had joined the Kingdom of Thorns. He's the one you speak of, correct?"

"Yes." She nodded, mulling over this confirmation, but seeming otherwise unphased.

"What do you know of his abilities?" she inquired.

"Little," Kuroko shrugged, "…It has been years since I crossed paths with him. But, considering Kise-kun's growth in that time, I would say that his skills will have improved substantially."

"…Then our plan remains unchanged," Izuki decided, "…Shutoku is famed for its archers that shoot from the trees. Hyuga, your men will be especially important. We can't use the trees like they can, so we'll have to make do on the ground, until we force them down."

Kagami phased out of the conversation, looking at the sword that was rested in his lap. A second Commander, and so soon? This was better than he'd hoped for. The battle in Seiho had been tough, but it had not been a challenge. It had been a fight for his life, but hadn't been the kind of fight he'd craved. He'd felt it with Kise –because they were on equal terms; they were both swordsmen who possessed great skill. The Seiho army had been an impressive force, but mostly because they hid in their walls; though their footmen had been decent enough.

_Midorima_…that was his name. He wondered what he was like. He was bound to be another monster, and that was thrilling.

"Kagami-kun, we should rest," Kuroko advised him quietly, "…We all fought hard, and Shutoku is giving us time to prepare." Kagami looked at him curiously, as though seeking an explanation for this. Kuroko chuckled a little to himself at the redhead's confusion. "You should understand, Kagami-kun. There is no honour in destroying that which is already defeated."

Kagami did not like that implication in the slightest.

* * *

The air in the forest was thick and warm. Riko had warned him that they were safe just in the eaves, where the trees were thinnest and couldn't hold the weight of the Shutoku soldiers, but when they got in deeper…arrows would rain.

At least from here there was retreat, unlike in Seiho. Hyuga intended for the fight to take place before the forest grew deep, because those who had experienced it cautioned him.

The trees touch the sky, they had whispered; the undergrowth is thick and wild and filled with beasts and enemies. It was best to not stray too deep; because without being able to manoeuvre in the treetops like the Shutoku army, they would lose the sun almost entirely. So Izuki had convinced his captain to fight where the trees were still thin.

Their horsemen rode with their shields up and their bows held in their other hand. The footmen, behind them, shifting between the low grasses, eyed the trees warily, jumping at every shift in the shadows.

But nothing in the forest stirred.

"This could be a trap," Izuki remarked under his breath to his captain, who nodded quietly.

"Welcome!" a light voice remarked suddenly, from somewhere up ahead. Hyuga drew the force to a halt, and with his shield slung over one arm, instantly nocked and arrow and drew it tight. His action was mimicked by those trained by him.

"Izuki…" Hyuga whispered, asking his strategist to look ahead.

"A man…" Izuki remarked, as the figure swung his legs and dropped down to the branch below. He had short, dark hair and was clad in the loose, brown forest grab of Shutoku, with a dark cloak tossed over his shoulder.

" –Seirin, I believe?" he called out almost cheerfully.

"Who's asking?" Hyuga shouted back coldly. There was a chuckle in response.

"…They call me the Hunting Hawk," he replied, sliding down the trunk of the tree; raking grooves into the bark as he descended, "…Takao Kazunari of the Kingdom of Thorns, and I speak for Shutoku. Sort of."

"Sort of…" Hyuga mused in confusion.

"Our archers are in the trees as I speak," Takao commented lightly, "I'm here to warn you to turn back."

"Never," Hyuga shouted back, "Shutoku has fallen before, and we will topple it once again. Keep your warnings! Shoot him down!" Takao chuckled, and deftly jumped for a new branch, swinging up and up and dancing away from the arrows sent after him.

"I'd thought as much," Takao remarked with a shrug, and Izuki, who could see him clearly, could even see his eyes narrow wickedly. "…Then…prepare to die." He leapt up several more branches, until he stood beside his captain –a tall, broad soldier named Otsubo, who had fought in many wars, and was considerably wiser than the Hawk.

"I should push you from these trees," he growled darkly, as Takao dropped to a crouch in interest. "Ruin another of our traps, and I might."

"Ahh, what need do we have of traps?" Takao sighed, "Are we the Kingdom of Blood? I thought not. Seirin wants to prove itself. Let them."

"Do not take them lightly," Otsubo warned darkly. Takao's eyes glinted up at him in amusement –a look that would unsettle most lesser men.

"…I would never," he remarked with a smirk, "…But now we fight on even terms…" He glanced down at the undergrowth and the way that Seirin was brushing through it carelessly. "…Sort of." Otsubo sighed heavily, and let his face set into a hard line. Softly, he snapped his fingers.

Tightened bowstrings let loose, and suddenly the thick air was being pierced by arrows as they flew towards Seirin. With a harsh cry, Hyuga raised his shield, and a moment later there was the sickening thud of arrows meeting shields. He flinched back with the force, having felt at least half a dozen arrows clatter against it. Without hesitation, he reached for an arrow and sent it flying back towards one of the archers he had spotted in the trees.

Before the arrow made its mark, however, the man had swung down onto the branch below; avoiding it completely. Not having time to curse, Hyuga urged his horse onwards with his knees, taking aim once more.

Kagami was grateful for his shield, but couldn't help but be frustrated that the soldiers were up in the trees. They hadn't come much deeper, but already the branches were thick enough to hold the weight of men. As he advanced, he watched them, unable to help but feel a strange sense of awe.

The way they moved through the trees was unreal –inhuman, even. When there were no branches, they could still clamber up long stretches of trunk almost effortlessly –and they jumped and ran between trees as he might run across the ground. They shot as they ran, too –the arrow-storm unrelenting and endless. They were driving them onwards, he knew –deeper into the forest. But that had been the plan all along.

Arrows whistled all around, like a twisted song, and men fell, their life's blood spilling out into the forest litter to feed the thorny woods.

Finally, Kagami spotted men, in the distance. In the forest, he couldn't tell how far off they were. That was when the arrow-storm stopped –just for a moment. Hyuga was suspicious, but continued to ride onwards as bowstrings twanged from the footmen ahead of them. He shook his head in disapproval –they were far beyond their range. As if to prove this, the arrows all reached their highest point in their arc and began to fall –harmlessly landing far ahead of Seirin.

"Did they misjudge our distance?" Koganei shouted out from somewhere behind Hyuga. But the captain shook his head warily, reigning in his horse as men surged on past him. He had a dreadful, dreadful feeling.

That was when it happened.

There was the loud snap of what could only be a huge longbow, and the arrow hissed as it cut through the air. Hyuga saw it coming; a giant arrow –longer than any he had ever encountered –flying through the air –sailing over the fallen shafts of the footmen.

It hit one of his men square in the throat, and kept on going; tearing through his flesh and out through the back of his neck to embed itself in the man behind him. But even then, it did not stop. This arrow; this merciless arrow, pinned that second man's throat to a third –the shaft firmly lodged within their two throats. All three men toppled –the first to his face, and the other two to their knees.

Hyuga stared.

Three men were dead.

Three men had been killed by a single arrow –an arrow that had force enough to outfly any other sent from Shutoku –and enough force to pierce through the flesh of three men.

It was dripping with blood, but he could still see how thick it was; how much longer than an ordinary arrow. The sight filled him with dread, but he kicked his horse into a run once more –they had a battle to fight.

Other men who had seen the arrow were not as brave. They quaked and they stumbled, and their hearts nearly gave in to fear. But Kagami was not one of them. He had seen the flight of such an arrow; heard the thuds of three men dying by its shaft. And instead of focusing on the projectile, he peered out into the forest to seek its archer.

He found the bow before he found its wielder. It was a giant thing; a real work of art –a six-foot longbow –maybe longer –made of faded grey wood. He watched it being drawn; a huge draw –a powerful draw, and as he ran onwards without fear, he saw the man holding it.

This man had hair as green as the forest around them, and eyes much the same colour. Kagami watched that arrow being drawn back further and further, and his eyes glinted in wonder and horror. Those shafts were monsters, and he who could shoot one, was surely just as much of one.

"That's him," Kuroko murmured, as he silently ran up beside Kagami; a mere shadow amongst all others in the forest. But the redhead had known, even without being told.

_Midorima_.

"...The deadliest archer of Teiko. They call him The Hunter."

A second arrow now came flying towards Seirin's army; its arrowhead aflame. Otsubo watched on grimly as he saw Takao swinging from bough to bough and shooting as he went. The Hawk may have neutralised one trap, but that changed nothing.

Midorima's flaming arrow hit the throat of a man who was rising from the ground; having stumbled and fallen into the grasses on the forest floor. It tore out his throat, and continued onwards, but as it did so, something on that man caught aflame instantly, and quickly spread across his entire body as it crumpled.

As the flaming dead man toppled to the ground, the undergrowth itself ignited, and the closest surrounding Seirin soldiers were consumed and their bodies scattered in an explosion of flesh and fire.

_The entire forest was a trap_.

* * *

**Enter Shutoku. How will Seirin fight an army in the trees, especially when they have an archer as fearsome as Midorima?**

I'm looking forward to this battle. We've got some interesting problems to deal with! I kinda like how Takao's turning out. Hope you enjoyed, and hope you stick around for the battle next chapter. 

**Also, as a warning, there WILL be **yaoi** in later chapters. **

**Much love,  
xx K**


	8. Hunt

_"It's hard, isn't it?"_

_Kagami looked up across the dying fire to see that Kuroko had materialised from the shadows and was sitting across the low embers. His electric eyes were as unreadable as always. The redhead looked at him quizzically, but Kuroko just peered into the fire. _

_"…It's hard, to love fighting so much, and to yet hate war," he elaborated. He'd been watching the swordsman as they rested, and it had become increasingly obvious that he was disturbed. He'd seen the look before; fighting the bandits on the Highway, and he knew what it meant. _

_"I used to love war," Kagami muttered, shaking his head, "…Or at least parts of it. But that was across the sea. Things are different here." He sighed, trying to find the words. How could he tell Kuroko of lands he'd never known? How could he say how different war was, a world away? Across the sea, those in the armies had been trained well; their companies were smaller, but so much fiercer. Each encounter was a duel –a test of strength and skill. _

_Not here. _

_"Seiho was a massacre," he finally grunted out, shaking his head and clenching his fists, "They hid up in their walls and killed us like we were fish in a barrel…And at the pass, with those bandits…" He'd never fought like this; when there was such a difference in skill. He'd come here looking for the strong, but he'd forgotten that in war, he would also have to face the weak. _

_"Kagami-kun…there is no shame in hating the killing," Kuroko assured him softly, "That is what separates men from monsters. But you cannot let their deaths hang over you. It would be an insult to their memory." _

_"What?" Kagami scowled, confused. _

_"If you think that they stood no chance against you, and that their death is meaningless, then you shame their bravery," he reminded him, in that polite tone of his; but Kagami found himself feeling scolded. "Do not look down on your opponents. You may see yourself as the stronger, but are they not the braver for facing you nonetheless?"_

_"But there is no honour in mindlessly killing those so much weaker than yourself," Kagami muttered, and he didn't see the way that Kuroko's eyes narrowed coldly. _

_"…Then do not let it be mindless," he murmured, "And do not underestimate those who you see as 'weak' –few men start out strong." He looked down into the fire now and looked at the calluses on the palms of his hands from years and years of tugging on a chain. "…And Kagami-kun? You say there is no honour in killing men whose strength cannot match yours. But is there not honour in fighting and dying for your kingdom?" _

_Kagami was silent for a long moment as he mulled this over. He felt guilty –Kuroko had reminded him just then of his perception of weak and strong, and how he had been wrong about him. He hadn't thought of it like this before. The men of Kaijo who he had defeated; they had seen their comrades fall to him, and yet they had surged on without fear. They had seen him defeat their champion, and were still willing to fight. _

_Was it not the same with Seirin? Their will would not be stamped out –he had seen that three times already. They were not the strongest men he'd trained with, but yet he could not honestly say they were weak. He was almost about to split into a small smile, when Kuroko spoke again; his voice grave once more. _

_"Kagami-kun…you say you wanted to be the greatest swordsman in the land?" he queried quietly. The redhead nodded. "…Here in these lands, we do not have tournaments for such a thing. Here, that title is earned by deeds." _

_"I know that," Kagami scoffed. _

_"I don't think you do," Kuroko shook his head, and the redhead was surprised to see bitterness cross his gaze again. "Swordsmen gain reputations in few ways; how they kill, how many they kill, and how they die." Colours flashed in his mind as he spoke; yellow, blue, green, purple and red. "…A man can have a signature way of killing –"One end of his chain slid out from underneath his cloak. "…With an arrow…with rage…with a hammer…And people will know him and fear him." He paused again and gritted his teeth in an expression that Kagami hadn't seen before. _

_"A man can kill thousands, any which way; and they will know him and they will fear him," he added, "...Or, he can die, as all men die. People will remember those who died bravely, yes, but more often, they remember those who they once feared." _

_"I will not die," Kagami assured him, almost aggressively, "And I will not become a butcher –because if I kill them all, who is there to remember me?" _

_Kuroko believed him. _

_Kagami fell silent again, closing his eyes and bowing his head slightly. The strength of a man was not solely measured by how hard he could swing a sword. Why then, should a swordsman be only the number of men he had killed? He was more than that. He had something to protect and fight for now. He had something to save. _

_"Kagami-kun…" Kuroko interrupted his thoughts, looking past the redhead and out across the thorny field to the trees that lay beyond, "…Ready yourself. We will face Shutoku tomorrow, and there will be blood." _

_"I know," he muttered quietly. _

_"War is hell, Kagami-kun," he whispered, "And never forget that. It is dark and cruel, and far from the light of the world of the living. And you will have to kill a lot of men tomorrow." _

_"I know," he repeated, his voice firm as he too looked back at the forests looming up against the night sky. "…But I don't like it." _

* * *

_War is hell. _

Those words from Kuroko echoed in Kagami's ears as he found himself flung aside by the explosion of another flaming arrow igniting something in the undergrowth. Flesh and blood spattered him and he gritted his teeth distastefully as he rolled to his feet, shield up as arrows rained down towards him.

The movement of the archers through the trees was absolutely unreal. They were so fast and moved so fluidly between boughs that they seemed a part of the canopy themselves. Some were shooting as they ran.

Their men on the ground were no less fierce. Seirin had engaged their footmen, and it was quickly becoming apparent that Shutoku's strength did not lie only in its archers. Kagami's blood was racing as he beat back several of their swordsmen –they were thoroughly well-trained and battle-hardened. The armies had been forced to pan out over a huge area; forced apart by the trees. But it didn't matter how far away a man was. Midorima's vicious arrows were not bothered by something such as distance -and even if the shot seemed impossible, with trees and foliage surely blocking his view...the arrow would always make its mark.

Suddenly, something went whizzing past his face and he lurched to one side in time to see a chain go whizzing past and wrap itself around a high branch. That was the only warning he got before Kuroko was swinging past him and up into the trees. He saw a glimmer of electric blue eyes before the phantom vanished into the shadows up there.

Excellent. Kuroko could deal to the archers, while he focused on the ground.

And he _had_ to focus. This fight wasn't like fighting bandits or like being hammered into the ground by Seiho. It wasn't even like facing Kaijo.

Shutoku was strong. _All_ of them were strong. If he had been worried about needlessly killing the weak, he had no cause to think on it now. All of his energy and all of his thoughts were currently trained on beating them off. They had the home field advantage; they were the King of the West, and they too had land, people, and a reputation to protect.

_This_ was the kind of war he could fight, hellish though it was. Kagami had thought he was used to the sight of blood, and he was –but what he wasn't used to was the stinking smell of burnt flesh. The forest reeked of it, and the singing hum of Midorima's giant bow was a song of death. Kagami had seen those arrows pierce through a wooden shield to skewer a man; he had watched as those flaming arrows ignited some plant matter on the forest floor and let off explosions that could tear a man to shreds.

Suddenly, Kagami spun around, wrenching his blade out from the chest of a dead man with a kick to the chest. He'd heard that dreadful buzz of one of Midorima's arrows, and as he looked over, he saw two men pinned together by their throats by yet another of those dreadful shafts. Red eyes glinted up into the trees to see the Hunter himself peering down at him with a cold, calculating gaze. Ever so slowly, Midorima began to restring another arrow.

Kagami gritted his teeth, angered by the aloof way that the Commander was looking down at him, almost with disinterest. He wanted to face him. He _had_ to face him.

Hyuga, from somewhere nearby, barked an order, and a volley of arrows went singing towards the steadily restringing archer. He did not seem in the least bit bothered by approaching threat, and at the last second, it became apparent why.

A dark blur came rocketing out of nowhere; landing firmly in front of Midorima; a wooden shield held up to protect him from the shafts. The arrows hid the wood with a chorus of dull thuds, before the shield was slung back over a shoulder to reveal Takao, already nocking an arrow.

"You'll have to do a bit better than that!" Takao hollered out with a chuckle as he loosed his arrow and promptly knocked a rider from his horse. Hyuga let out an annoyed growl as Kagami decided that the only way to chase him down was to join him in the trees.

Sheathing his sword, he took a running leap at one of the lower branches of the nearest trees and fell straight to his face. Here, the first branches were much too high for him to clamber up onto. His only option, if he wished to face Midorima, was to go deeper.

There was another explosion from nearby, and he cringed as he heard the screams. It wasn't just the screams of the dying that he could hear –those were mingled in with the cries of men having to watch their friends and comrades dissolve in a flash of flame. There was nothing they could do. They could not fight fire.

They had to fight the archer.

"…Shin-chan, don't be so reckless…" Takao remarked warningly as he shimmied up onto a higher branch and danced away from arrow-fire. "I won't always be around to protect you." That was a lie, but Midorima didn't have to know that.

"Did I ask for your protection?" Midorima inquired coldly, his arms physically straining with the effort of pulling such a huge bow back to its full draw. He eyed the battlefield warily, and with a gentle release of his fingertips, let the huge arrow fly; pinning two men to a tree and setting off another explosion. He paused now; seeing archers from their own ranks toppling from the trees and the very leaves dripping with blood.

"…He's here," Midorima muttered darkly as he pulled out another arrow from his quiver and inspected it carefully. "Takao…Do you remember how we walked together this morning?"

"How could I forget?"

"…We came across a stream choked by the thorns," he stated coolly. "…Kuroko was born in the Kingdom of Rivers. I was born in this Kingdom of Thorns. The Gods have answered my prayers and sent me a sign. Kuroko will not triumph today." He glanced across at the archer perched on the branch directly across from him. "Find him."

"…Already found him," Takao smirked wickedly, bounding off through the trees.

Izuki noticed him parting ways from Midorima, and felt an ominous sensation rising in his gut. He had been aware of where the men in the trees were falling from, and knew that it was Kuroko's doing –and Takao was headed right for him. Was it possible that…

"He has my eyes," he whispered aloud in shock. In the midst of battle, it was difficult to tell which enemies were falling by which weapons. Most men would have thought that the majority of those dropping from the trees were due to arrow-fire…but that man –that Takao…he wasn't fooled.

"Hyuga!" he shouted urgently, spinning his horse and tugging his shield up over his body as arrows whistled towards him, "Hyuga! Takao can see him! Takao can see Kuroko!"

"That's not possible!" Hyuga snarled back, bleeding scratches on his face from close calls with arrows, "…No one can see –"

"His eyes!" Izuki protested, pointing to where Takao seemed to be pursuing something –paying no mind to the arrows following him. "He…He has eyes like mine –possibly even greater than mine –_that's why they call him the Hunting Hawk_."

"…Eyes of a hawk," Hyuga hissed, and then cursed, "…We can't help Kuroko from down here. Takao is too fast. Deal with those on the ground and force down the archers!" Izuki nodded, glancing a last look up at the Shutoku archer swinging through the trees above; his movements indicating that he was gaining on his target.

Kuroko could barely believe it when the arrow went whistling past his cheek. It was by pure luck that he had managed to avoid being shot in the back of the neck. A quick glance back told him that that companion of Midorima's was chasing him –chasing him with intent. A flash of panic shot through him with the realisation that he could _see_ him. It had been a long time since he had found someone who could sense his presence.

Gritting his teeth, he flung out his chain and swung down across the battlefield, knocking arrows from the air with the knife in his other hand. He landed lightly and jerked his hand to tug it loose, wondering how he could lose his pursuer.

"…Don't think you can escape me that easily," Takao hollered out darkly, and Kuroko hurriedly dropped to the branch below to avoid the arrow that was sent after him. He landed on all fours, chain clattering to the branch with him. "Kuroko, was it? I've been _very_ interested to meet you." He quirked an eyebrow as Kuroko quickly glanced down to the battlefield to see that Kagami had managed to make it up onto the first branch of a tree –only to be forced to topple off; set off balance by being under arrow-fire.

"…He doesn't seem so impressive, yet," the Hawk admitted lightly, but that was all he managed to get out before he was forced to clamber up higher as a knife went flying past him. "Oh, so you have claws too? Fun." And with that, the chase was back on; Kuroko scurrying through the trees as best he could, with Takao hot on his tail. He was by no means as good as the archer at navigating the canopy –he nearly fell so many times –but he was light on his feet and his movements were completely unpredictable.

At least, if Takao was chasing him, then that would mean that Midorima was open to attack.

Again, he saw Kagami trying to climb up into the trees, and he prayed –though he didn't believe in the First Gods, or any other, for that matter –that he could reach the Hunter. From up so high, he could look down on the forest floor and saw the plants stained with blood, and men pinned together by thick arrows; keeled over like some twisted form of art. The trees were spattered with flesh, and the bark scorched by fire. But most of all, he couldn't bear the shrieks of burning men.

Suddenly, a cheer went up from the other side of the battlefield, and Kuroko heard Takao's steps faltering. He looked back over his shoulder to find that the Hawk had almost immediately shot off in a different direction; drawn by purpose greater than hunting him down.

Almost as soon as the cheers had begun, they died down into gasps of horror and slight panic. Hyuga had thought some of his archers had succeeded in toppling Midorima from his place in the trees. The green-haired archer had taken a step backwards to avoid a volley of arrows, and apparently lost his footing.

But it quickly became apparent that he was just like any other of the Shutoku archers in his ability to manoeuvre through the trees. As he toppled back, he pushed off the branch and flipped backwards, grabbing his quiver, and landed lightly on a branch closer to the ground. His nearby comrades quickly covered him as he clambered up, one-handed, to a better height.

Takao landed on the branch next to him as he was restringing his bow.

"…What is it? Is Kuroko dead?" Midorima inquired coldly.

"No, I thought –" Takao replied, only to receive a snort of disapproval.

"…I'm not so weak," he assured the Hawk flatly, "Go. While you waste your time here, Kuroko is causing havoc."

" –It's not _wasting time_…" the smaller man hissed, "Shin-chan, if I'm not here…"

"I will be fine," he scoffed darkly, "Leave me. I will not die."

"…Can you promise that?" Takao asked, glaring up at the archer defiantly. Midorima didn't meet his eyes; just began pulling back his bowstring.

"I promise," he murmured quietly, almost reassuringly. "Go." Takao just gripped the fabric of his companion's cloak for a moment, before leaping back off into the trees with a last, fleeting look; letting the wooden shield on his back topple to the ground.

Kagami, at the base of the tree, watched the shield fall in slight confusion, but didn't let it linger in his mind. He was sweating, panting heavily, and his hands were torn from trying to clutch at the bark. He'd managed to make it into the trees several times, but the branches were too high for him to reach –he didn't know how the archers managed to climb such empty lengths of trunk with ease. He'd fallen so many times –almost being skewered on the spears below him. The sounds of explosions were sickeningly ringing in his ears, and he hated how Midorima could just stare down from the trees with such an empty expression. How could he just watch from up there; see how grotesquely his enemies were impaled? Could he heard them choking on their own breaths, he wondered. Could he hear them trying to whisper to each other as they died?

This was war, but it made him sick.

Kuroko quickly sliced open the throats of two more archers and let them topple lifelessly to the ground. He knew it wasn't going to be long before Takao was back on his tail. Deciding that in the trees, the Hawk had the advantage, he let himself drop to the ground, where the real blood was being spilled.

* * *

Kagami panted heavily as he kicked a dead archer from the tree, the body hitting branch after branch as it toppled to the ground. The next archer at the other end of the branch drew her blade and took a swing at him.

He'd found out very quickly that the female Shutoku archers were probably more dangerous than the men. The one facing him was fast, and incredibly quick on her feet. Her blows weren't as strong as some of the men on the ground, but since they were balancing precariously in mid-air, that wasn't her aim.

He gritted his teeth as one of her swipes made it through his guard and caught his shoulder. Taking advantage of his pain, she took the time to retreat higher into the trees, where he couldn't follow. He panted heavily, letting his sword hang loosely in his hand. He was getting the hang of getting up into the trees, but moving around in them was another matter entirely. His entire body was aching and bruised from how many times he'd fallen –but he was getting closer to Midorima, and he was the only man in the trees able to thin out the archers from their own territory.

Another explosion gave him the strength to clamber up higher; now level with the Hunter in the trees. He felt heat blast up from beneath him and saw a flash of flame as the archer reached for another arrow. Just for a moment, green eyes glanced across at him…but then turned away again, as if barely noticing him.

Angered by such blatant disregard for his presence, Kagami ran to the end of the branch he was standing on, with the intent of jumping the gap between his tree and the next. He'd misjudged the distance, because before he knew it, he was falling again.

By some blind luck, he managed to catch the branch below as he fell, and thus saved himself from his bones breaking upon the ground. Clenching his teeth, he dragged himself back up and began jogging along the branches as confidently as he could.

The archers in the trees hadn't expected him to get this high, apparently, because their faces were plastered with shock when he skewered them and let their bodies fall; making his way towards Midorima. He had to corner him; render that bow useless.

He heard the hum of the arrow before he saw it –and it was a good thing he had grown attuned to it. A reflex slash with the flat of his sword was suddenly what saved his life. There was a thud of wood clattering against metal, and a weight being fiercely swatted away. That only registered a moment later when he saw the arrow harmlessly toppling to the ground, with Midorima still poised from the release.

In that moment, it was just the two of them, standing in the trees, while madness reigned below them. Arrows were flying in all directions and the air was sticky with humidity and blood. Smoke drifted up to the canopy on a thick wind; smoke from the burning bodies of men. Soft embers flitted in the breeze between them as Midorima lowered his bow to eye Kagami coolly.

"Midorima," Kagami greeted hoarsely.

"Who are you?" Midorima inquired coolly, but Kagami didn't let his demeanour rattle him.

"Kagami Taiga," he informed him boldly, "…I'm going to be the one to defeat you."

"I think you're quite mistaken," he assured him, hoisting his quiver onto his back, "I follow the Gods, and they have already decided the outcome of this battle." Kagami raised an eyebrow. _The Gods? Which ones_? "…Your victory over Kise may have been the Wheel of Fate turning, but you will go no further."

"The Wheel of Fate?" Kagami whispered in confusion. Was Midorima talking about the First Gods; the gods of the earth? There were still people who followed them? He'd thought the First Gods had become a dead faith generations ago.

"All that will come to pass has been foretold by them, and it is up to those of us who follow to read their signs," Midorima informed him, "…I have read the signs. That is why I know I will win." Kagami just chuckled; that laugh that always spouted forth in battle. The Hunter stepped back a pace at the sight of such a man, with wild red eyes that glinted in the dappled forest light.

"I follow no Gods," Kagami informed him, drawing his sword and beginning to advance. "I make my own fate." Midorima's eyes narrowed as he eyed Kagami drawing closer and closer to his branch.

"Think what you will," he scoffed, looking down, "…You will fall, nonetheless." And on that note, he leapt upwards and dragged himself, with surprising grace, up onto the branch above. Kagami gave a frustrated cry, leaping the gap and following.

Up above the battle they climbed. Midorima was swifter on his feet than he appeared; Kagami had only just noticed that they were about the same height, though the archer was leaner and slightly taller. He couldn't figure out how a man of his size could move so freely through the treetops; swinging from branch to branch and running along boughs without a care for how high up they were. But Midorima had been born in these forests. His small clan had lived deep in the woods, learning the ways of the First Gods and mastering the trees. No one knew this forest like Midorima, and once he was in the canopy, no one could catch him.

Or at least, that was what he had always thought.

Kagami fell again, this time two branches down. Fire rocketed up at his feet almost seconds later, and the smoke burned his eyes, and Midorima looked down on him with scorn. His arms were aching in their sockets from catching himself as he fell, but still, he pulled himself up and kept climbing.

Midorima couldn't understand it. It wasn't that he didn't understand Kagami's drive to fight him –he had known men like him once; known men desperately seeking to pit their strength against others.

He just didn't understand how he had gotten so high –how he had followed him.

Pausing to let loose another arrow, the tip set alight by the flint he kept in his gloved hands, he saw once more that Kagami was gaining on him. The trees were difficult to climb here –there were large gaps where there were no branches to climb. Only the Shutoku archers with their hooked palms could make their way up the trunks…

And then, as he watched the redhead climb, he saw it.

He jumped.

He jumped, and the whole tree shook –shook like one of those ground-shattering earthquakes that Midorima knew was the Wheel of Fate turning. This wasn't possible.

Instead of trying to claw his way up the trunk, Kagami was simply jumping for the branch above and dragging himself up. Despite his height, even Midorima couldn't do that.

Green eyes widening in shock, he turned and clambered higher once more.

Hyuga saw. From the ground –from the burning ground, he saw Kagami –he saw him chasing Midorima. It was good, because as long as the Hunter was kept on the move, he couldn't take shots from that terrifying bow. The other Shutoku archers might have been able to shoot on the run, but that giant longbow –no, that would take time.

He wiped the tears from the smoke from his eyes, and his hand pulled away with blood. But he disregarded this. He felled an archer with a clean shot through the chest, and then he watched. He'd seen Kagami climb; he'd seen him fall –so many times. And then he'd seen him jump.

No ordinary man could have climbed so high. Each spring was more powerful; it was destabilising trees wherever he went. He could _feel_ the animalism in the air.

Midorima cursed as he reached the end of the branch he was standing on. He gauged the distance across to the next tree and gritted his teeth. There was no way he could make it. Seeing Kagami gaining on him, he sprinted for the trunk and scrambled up it far higher than the redhead could spring. On the branch above, he ran across it and down onto the branch he'd intended to land on before. He smiled slightly to himself, stringing another arrow and setting it aflame.

In moments, there was a huge explosion from the ground, far below, and he smirked approvingly –the emotion turning to bitterness at the sound of the screams. Fire licked at the grasses, and suddenly caught alight.

* * *

"...Midorima-kun follows the First Gods, doesn't he?" Kuroko remarked, almost conversationally, as he faced off against Takao on the ground; having given up on outrunning the Hawk. Both of them were panting heavily; pairs duelling all around them as the flames began to spread along the grasses, dirt and plants flying in all directions as it spread and ignited the dangerous spores low on the ground.

Takao's eyes widened in shock as he danced away from the steadily spreading flames. This didn't happen! It was always the spores that ignited; never the plants! What was going on?

"…Takao-kun…" Kuroko commented with a small smile, as he too, watched the flames, but nodded to a certain kind of plant.

_The thorns were burning. _

What happened next, Midorima knew he would never forget. It was as he strung another arrow, this one intended for that persistent swordsman. He began drawing back the bowstring; feeling the tension rising and the force increasing. With this shot, he would perish.

Kagami began to run towards him; fearless.

And then came the wall of fire.

If it was some concentration of those spores, or some will of the Gods, he didn't know…but at that moment, as Kagami, with the eyes of a beast, leapt forwards across that impossible gap, he was swallowed up by flames.

Midorima took a stunned step backwards; the heat of the flames brushing his face and the smoke making him cough. And then the branch he was on juddered angrily and he automatically let his arrow fly.

No sooner had it left his fingers but the flat of a blade connected with it and turned aside his aim like it was nothing. He felt the shaft being knocked off course, and could only listen as it clattered harmlessly against the many branches on its fall to the earth. His eyes widening, he saw the flames parting, and from it emerged a swordsman in black, with hair burning like fire and eyes gleaming like _his_.

Kagami let out a short breath, brushing sweat from his brow as he rose to his feet, sword trailing against the bark of the branch the pair of them were standing on.

"Eventually, the Hunter will become the hunted," Kagami growled, with his voice even. Midorima didn't bother stepping back against the tree trunk, just held his bow tightly in one hand and met the redhead's stare evenly. A sharp blade was placed at his throat, but he just stared down its length to the face of the swordsman.

"…You stopped me, but you have not defeated me," Midorima declared coldly, though that was a lie, and it seemed that Kagami knew it. He had won the hunt, and he had turned aside his arrow when it was set to skewer him. He was defeated, as he had never been before.

"Can you say the same, when you are dead?"

"…Captain!" Hyuga called out in a demanding voice amid the terrified yells as the flames crept higher. Seirin's horses were shrieking as their riders tried to keep them under control. But nonetheless they were giving chase as Shutoku fought to escape the fire. They had come here to wrestle victory from the King of the West, and even if they had to storm through hellfire and a blazing forest, they were going to have their victory, "Shutoku! Tell your captain to yield! Your forest is aflame and your champion as good as dead!" Many of the men around did not hear his words, but Otsubo heard, and so did Takao.

"…Shin-chan…" he whispered, eyes turning to face the giant tree that was surrounded now by a ring of flame. He could see two figures up in the tree, and knew that Midorima had been caught. He immediately turned to run off towards the flaming tree, but Kuroko's chain caught him around the neck and jerked him back. Takao hacked up a choked breath, but still drew out his bow and began taking aim. Kuroko, stunned that he was more focused on the shot than drawing breath, barely reacted fast enough to drag him to the ground by his throat –the arrow already flying off, but its path thankfully veering away from Kagami.

The phantom knelt, drawing his knife. Takao's hawk eyes were glinting with defiance, but also something else. They were looking past Kuroko, as though he could see past him and up into the trees. And Kuroko's hand was halted by the sound of Otsubo calling for a ceasefire. Shutoku's captain had seen the look in Hyuga's face, and known that the Kingdom of Ashes did not surrender to the flames. They were already ash. That captain was going to run them until they burned alive unless he admitted defeat. Their horses could outrun the flames, and already his forces were fighting for their lives even more than before –faced with a wall of steel on one side and a wall of fire on the other.

"Retreat deeper to the forest," he shouted, the fire roaring dangerously and threatening to swallow them up, "The fire will choke itself up! Back to the forest! Seirin can claim this day if they escape the blaze!"

The huge captain leapt up into the trees, fire licking his face as Hyuga called for the retreat with a nod to their captain. Otsubo ground his teeth, but nodded back in acknowledgement.

Sheer luck.

That was all it was.

The undergrowth had never caught alight before. Why now?

Kuroko got to his feet, letting the chain fall slack around Takao's neck. Without a moment's hesitation, Takao had scrambled for the nearest tree and was making a beeline for the giant tree where Kagami and Midorima still stood; facing off as smoke and ash flitted through the air.

"Your captain has yielded," Kagami informed him darkly, "You _are_ defeated."

"I am not my captain," the Hunter replied sternly, "I do not yield." Kagami eyed him curiously and met his gaze evenly; the fire in his gaze dying to a smoulder. There was a look –an empty look in the archer's eyes that he didn't quite understand. Was it because he had been caught? Perhaps…but it was something more as well….a kind of sadness; a kind of pain.

"…Do you really wish to die so badly?"

Midorima paused for a moment, hearing the crackling of wood and grasses catching alight mingled with the explosions. No one had caught him in the trees before. He had been born and raised in these woods before Teiko, and he had returned after. No mere man should be able to follow him through the canopy –and no mere man should have been able to bat away not one, but _two _of his arrows like they was nothing. His arrows pierced shields and armour and skewered whole animals. They moved with speed and force unlike any other shaft.

How could he have hit even one aside? Doing that for even normal arrows required tremendous skill and awareness. And one had been as it was loosed from the string. This was impossible. _This man_ was impossible. Midorima did not lose. The Gods were with him.

But even as he thought that; even as he saw with his own eyes, the thorns being swallowed up by the flames, he remembered back to the quaking of the trees, and heard words that Kise had once whispered to him in warning.

_Yours aren't the only gods_, he had said. _Just the First. And you may not be the only one they favour. _

"Takao…lower your weapon," he growled coldly, closing his eyes, "He caught me."

"No," Takao remarked coldly, from where he was stationed on a branch behind Kagami with an arrow pulled back to his cheek, "Shin-chan, you promised that if I left you, you would not die. Yield."

"I do not yield."

"Don't be stubborn. You promised me," he reminded him flatly, "And, ceasefire or not, if you refuse to yield, I _will_ shoot the swordsman."

"Fool," Midorima snapped, "…You'd be lashed, or worse."

" –You're a fine one to call him a fool," Kagami muttered, suddenly pulling up his sword and planting it firmly in the bark of the branch they stood upon. Any other enemy, and he would've felt cheated, having only chased him down and batted aside an arrow or two –but there was shame in Midorima's eyes; the shame of one whose pride had been wounded by defeat, and Kagami's body was wearier and heavier than it had ever been. Midorima was not a swordsman; he would not defeat him as he defeated a swordsman. Twice, he had turned aside those brutal arrows. Many times he had fallen, only to finally rise to stand even with him. And for a moment, as he leapt through the flames, he had flown.

And with his pursuit, he had saved lives –lives that might otherwise have ended choking on a green-fletched arrow. As he glanced up, he smiled, so high, he felt as though he could almost reach out and touch the sky. But then he turned back to face Midorima, who, despite being captured, was still standing tall and proud and will a magnificence about him that emanated strength.

"…It's bad luck to break a promise…" Kagami murmured bitterly, sheathing his sword and hearing Takao lower his bow. He looked up at Midorima, who just gazed back at him in confusion –the same confusion that Kise had looked at him with –the confusion of a man who is unfamiliar with mercy.

"…Your kingdom burns. Where now are your Gods?" And on that note, he spied his allies retreating, and swung down onto the branch below, paying no heed to the flames beneath him. Midorima watched the redhead go; utterly bemused and unsure of what he was currently feeling. Something warm and damp slid down his cheek, and with an elegant finger, he reached up to touch it –thinking it blood. But it was merely a tear.

"Deeper," Takao informed him, glancing back as he began to head back into the forest, "Otsubo has called the retreat. The fire will burn itself out –"

"…And the thorns shall be as ash…" Midorima whispered quietly, his eyes growing sad, as he peered down through the flames, and saw a figure of black racing across the burning grasses towards the open. Wordlessly, he turned and began to follow Takao through the trees, towards the deeper groves of Shutoku, where not even fire could reach.

He would not admit it, but he had watched Kagami fight. He had seen the wild strength he had possessed; the light in his eyes and the thrill of the fight alive in his heart. He had fought on the ground and in the trees and shown no fear. No matter how high he had climbed, Kagami had pursued him. If they were on an even plain; where Shutoku did not have their trees, he knew he would've died this battle.

Who was this stranger…this _Kagami…_Who was he to dare challenge the Commanders; who was he to run him down in his homeland like a common archer, only to give him his life when Midorima would have died for his pride.

Who was he to remind him of _him_?

He had to be told –had to be warned. Perhaps Kise was right. Perhaps a storm was rising; a storm of ash and fire.

And as he ran through the treetops, his limbs growing weary from climbing and the effort it took to string his bow; he watched a small white bird flit past his face; a small white bird with a soft pink tail. With that bird, and others like it, he knew that word of their embarrassing retreat would spread across the lands. _He_ would hear of it.

They would all hear of it.

And Seirin would have little enough time to celebrate their victory in the Kingdom of Thorns.

* * *

From the borders of Seiho, Kingdom of Stone, Kise the Mirror looked towards Shutoku forest and watched the smoke rise up over the towering trees. He could see dozens of little birds fanning out in all directions. One flitted past him, and stopped; beating its wings in front of him as though in recognition. The golden blonde held out a finger, and the dainty bird landed lightly, beginning to preen itself.

"Hello, little one," he greeted cheerfully, "What news do you take back to your mistress?" The bird obligingly opened its mouth, and spoke in the thick voice of a man, saying, '_Back to the forest. Seirin can claim this day if they escape the blaze_.' Kise raised an eyebrow; not at all surprised by the bird's mimicry. He'd grown used to such things, back in the old days.

"Little bird," he commented curiously, with a wicked glint in his eyes, "I think I have a job for you."

* * *

**Kise, always up to something... and I really think that Midorima stands to get a whole lot more interesting... I know that perhaps this wasn't strictly Seirin vs Shutoku, but I love the idea of Midorima being an archer and Shutoku being awesome in the trees. And, if we going canon on this... we know who we get to meet very shortly. **

**Hope you liked; not quite a battle so much as a chase, but nonetheless, I hope it was enjoyable.  
xx K**


	9. Change

The fires burned low, by even so, the men shied away from them. The smell of burning was still clear in the air, though the wind of the night did its best to sweep away the smoke of war. Seirin's warriors still had the taste of flames in their throat, and many of them were suffering from burns from the fire, along with those wounds they had sustained from their enemy.

Those who had not fought that day were scurrying between tents, trying to tend to the wounded as best they could; working fast so that no burns would fester. Shutoku had spoken true, the fire had eventually died, choking on the density of the forest, and the field of thorns was not so easily claimed by the flames. There was ash on the air, and it choked the lungs of the wounded and stifled the night.

"No, Kagami, you must _rest_," Riko demanded, when she caught the swordsman hobbling around the camp for the third time.

" –Chief, I'm fine –there are men who need my help," he insisted, stumbling. He would've fallen, but for the sudden appearance of Kuroko at his elbow. For a change, Kagami barely reacted to his materialisation, gritting his teeth as his body ached.

"…We need _you_," she reminded him harshly, her eyes burning angrily, "…You're lucky your body isn't broken. You chased Midorima too far."

"…I had to –" he began to defend himself, but Kuroko elbowed him in his aching side to remind him to hold his tongue. Kagami doubled over in pain and glared at the phantom, who did not look in the least bit apologetic.

"You fell so many times," Riko snapped, "Some god out there must love you, because I don't know _how_ you haven't done internal damage to yourself…" She sighed heavily as he averted his eyes sheepishly, "You must _rest_. We aim to march south when we can, and your strength will be needed." She turned to address Kuroko. "…Make sure he returns to his tent."

"Yes, chief," he replied politely, with a slight nod. She sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. The night was warm, and she was run off her feet with trying to aid her men. Thankful that she would not have to baby the swordsman if he was under Kuroko's care, she stalked off towards the largest infirmary tent, armed with hot water for cleaning wounds.

"I never thanked you," Kagami grunted as he straightened up and proudly refused to lean on Kuroko, "For occupying Takao. I saw you knock his arrow off course…but I can't believe he would've killed me in a ceasefire."

"You were going to kill Midorima-kun," Kuroko reminded him reproachfully.

"…Maybe," Kagami murmured, as though unsure of what he would have done, had Takao's words to the archer, of a promise, not shaken him. Kuroko smiled softly to himself. A swordsman with a kind heart? The gods knew that they needed more men like that.

"And in any case…" the phantom murmured, almost sadly. "…All men have something they desire to protect." Kagami looked at him rather curiously, not understanding, but there was a look in Kuroko's eyes that told him that the smaller man had seen something that he himself had obviously missed.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the other side of the camp; the men having spied something approaching from the thorns. Curiosity and wariness ignited in Kagami's eyes and before Kuroko could stop him, he was stalking off in the direction of the uproar, adjusting the leather strap that strapped his huge longsword to his back.

Upon nearing the edge of the camp, it appeared that despite how exhausted and traumatised the men were from the battle that day, they were still capable of forming a mob.

"What's going on here?" Kagami growled loudly –his voice ringing out powerfully through the night. There seemed to be some kind of fight about to start. At the sight of the huge swordsman, the men drew back slightly, muttering amongst themselves about what they should do. A few of the more intelligent soldiers quickly scuttled off to inform the Chief.

"Ahh, Kagamicchi! Just who I was hoping to see!" a cheerful voice rang out, and Kagami's expression immediately darkened at that familiar tone. He pushed through the crowd, and upon reaching the centre of the angry ring, discovered that his comrades had Kise the Mirror on his knees in the dirt. There was blood trailing from a cut on his lip, but that did nothing to alter his good looks, and his grin was unwavering.

"Kise?" he remarked incredulously as the blonde staggered to his feet.

" –Kise-kun…" Kuroko frowned as he appeared at Kagami's side; having followed him through the crowd, with a building sense of apprehension. "You should not continue to approach our camps like this. This army sees you as an enemy."

"Ahh, but Kurokocchi, how else am I supposed to see you?" Kise chuckled with mischief flickering in his eyes. He made to take a step forwards, but in a flash, found that there was steel at his throat. The laugh died and his expression became serious as he realised that Kagami had drawn his blade and was warning him against advancing any further.

"Kagamicchi, there is no need for weapons here," he assured him quietly; holding up his hands to show that he was unarmed –much like how he had the first time they had met. "I am simply here to speak with Kurokocchi…and you too, perhaps."

"Kise-kun…this is not the old days," Kuroko reminded him with a touch of sadness. "You cannot…"

"You're right, it isn't," Kise interrupted firmly, "…Back then, we never would have approached each other's forces." His eyes softened as he stared around at the men he had angered in so casually entering their camp. "…I bear the men of Seirin no ill will. I only wish to walk with you." Kuroko paused for a moment. He had meant that kingdoms did not communicate like this, these days, but there was no malice in Kise's voice, and he understood his meaning. Even when they had served the same kingdom, the Commanders had each captained their own force, and in the end…rarely visited each other's camps.

"I will speak with you," Kuroko decided quietly.

"Kuroko, no –it could be a trap," Kagami warned flatly. Kise laughed again.

"You underestimate Kurokocchi," he chuckled, "He traps; he does not get trapped. Come with us. Know thy enemy, and all that."

"The words of a gracious warrior god," the redhead scoffed.

"Ahh, do not be so quick to judge," Kise remarked slyly, "…I hear that you are quite the gracious one yourself." The amused look he gave Kagami seemed to irk the swordsman, but he lowered his blade.

"Lead the way, then," he remarked with a sigh, returning the blade to its sheath at his back. This man was confusing. Kise smiled brightly, turning with a dramatic sweep and beginning to lead the way from the camp. The crowd parted for him in confusion, and by the time Riko and Hyuga arrived, the three of them had vanished off across the field and into the night.

* * *

"Takao, what is the meaning of this?" Midorima growled icily, as he glanced up into the nearest tree and saw the Hunting Hawk perched up on one of the branches with a rather unapologetic look on his face.

"Sorry, Shin-chan, I'm just doing what the bird told me to do," he shrugged simply, nodding across at the three men currently standing in the ash, surrounded by charred, dead trees. "The little bird told me to grab 'Midorimacchi' and bring him to the edge of the trees, so here we are. And at least it got you to stop crying…"

" –I was not…Bird?" Midorima muttered mutinously in understanding, "…Kise…is this your doing?" In the moonlight, Kise's hair was glowing a luminous gold, and his eyes glittered playfully as he stepped forwards. Immediately, Midorima took a step back.

" –I think I'll go a-scouting…" Takao sang out with a laugh, leaping off towards the depths of the forest once more.

"I hope you fall," Midorima drawled, folding his arms.

"I don't fall!"

A few moments later, there was silence again, Takao's light steps having faded off into the distance. Midorima, standing deeper into the burned eaves of the forest, stared coolly at the newcomers.

"You should stay away, Kise," he informed the blonde with a small shake of his head, "What is your purpose in demanding that Takao drag me out here?"

"You sent for him?" Kagami growled aggressively, but Kise held up a hand to call for peace.

"…I did," he admitted, but now his smile was sad, "…Kagamicchi, you say that you wish to defeat us…should you not at least then learn about us?"

"I already defeated you both," the redhead deadpanned, and Midorima's eyes narrowed crossly.

" –Walk with us, Midorimacchi?" Kise asked, though his voice was hopeful, "The ashes are settling…and you can see the stars."

"I can see the stars from the trees," Midorima snorted.

"Midorima-kun…please?" Kuroko murmured quietly, though he sounded as unsettled as the archer. Kagami peered at each of them in turn, not quite understanding this strange dynamic.

"You cannot expect me to," the Hunter snapped, "His kingdom defeated us today, and burnt our borders."

"It was your own arrow," Kise reminded him with a scoff, but then he sighed with a small smile at the sky as he began wandering along the edge of the thorn-field. "…And besides; we may fight today…but who knows about tomorrow? Kingdoms rise and fall all the time, after all."

Kuroko stared at Kise's back as the blonde wandered along through the ash, scuffing his feet a little, and chuckling to himself. He looked the same, wearing his usual vibrant blue blouse, but there was something different about him.

"This is pointless," Midorima snorted bitterly, "I should not be conversing with my enemies…"

" –What about with old friends?" Kise inquired quietly, wistfully watching the sky.

"…Kise-kun, do you not remember that –" Kuroko frowned.

"I know, I know," Kise shrugged, almost sadly, "…We weren't really friends. Not for a long time at least." He fell silent, and Kagami found himself feeling ever more confused. He bore neither of them any ill will –neither Kise nor Midorima –and didn't quite know why. Surely he should feel anger at how many of his comrades they and their kingdoms had killed?

But the thing was, that death was the way of war, and neither of them seemed to relish the killing of others. How could he hate his enemies, when they found the death as distasteful but necessary as he did?

"You do not seem happy, Midorimacchi," Kise continued, glancing back at the green-haired archer, who had still not moved from his spot amongst the burned trees.

"We are always at war, Kise," Midorima replied stiffly, but Kagami could hear how tired he sounded. "…Do you not feel the same?"

"I used to," Kise admitted with a light shrug, "But…these days…" He looked down at the ash on the ground and smiled. "…When I arrived back at Kaijo…I went out into the golden fields and just lay there. The air is so clear in the east…And I visited the villages…and saw the countryside, and I sang for the people and watched them smile…and I realised that perhaps I could love my kingdom." He looked over his shoulder with glinting gold eyes, "...I mean, I have served Kaijo for over three years…but not until I arrived home after defeat did I…appreciate it."

"One day the southern storm will come, and the sun will not rise," Midorima warned him bitterly, "…That is the truth of it all."

"Ahh, but to rejoice while we can…" Kise reminded him with a sigh, "Sometimes I dream, you know? I dream of when we were children. Even you used to smile sometimes, back then."

"Those were different times," Kuroko murmured, and the blonde turned to look back at the three of them. Midorima's face was cast in shadow; Kuroko looked saddened, and Kagami didn't seem to understand Kise's speech at all.

"Sometimes I wonder," he commented, brushing his hair back over his ear, "…What things _could_ have been like."

"Kise, it is unwise to dwell on what _might_ have been," Midorima snorted, "The Gods have their design and whatever we wish cannot alter it. It was their will that we part. This was the future they had planned for us."

"But it is nice to dream," Kuroko admitted as Kise shook his head.

"I like to think, that if we had never risen to power…if there was no war…we could have been friends, perhaps?" he mused hopefully.

"Don't be ridiculous," the archer whispered immediately, though Kuroko, and even Kagami could hear the softness of his words, and knew that at least once, the stern man had felt the same. "…We were too different. Nobles, woodsmen, servants…street urchins…how could we have been friends?" Kise just shrugged and looked up at the sky again.

"I don't know," he sighed, "But sometimes I wish it."

"…It isn't too late, you know?" Kagami suddenly spoke up in a flat tone. The three Commanders turned to stare at him and he scratched his head awkwardly, "…Sure…you fight for different kingdoms now…but like you said...we might be enemies now…but in future…?"

"…I knew there was a reason I liked you, Kagamicchi," Kise chuckled teasingly.

"…Don't get ahead of yourself," Kagami warned, but the blonde smiled at him so cheerfully that he just relaxed with a small sigh. "I just…I don't understand how you could have fought so closely and not been friends."

"One day soon, you will understand," Midorima growled darkly, "…We do not fight wars to make _friends_, Kagami. If we could do that, then there would be no need for war." Kagami just shrugged, feeling as though these men were making things far more complicated than they needed to be. "…You fought Kise, and you defeated him, and now you stand here conversing with him like old comrades. I don't understand it."

"He saved my life, Midorimacchi," Kise chuckled, "…And I may be friendly right now, but believe me; I will not lose again." Kagami couldn't help but let out a short bark of laughter at that spark in Kise's golden eyes. Midorima saw it too, but his reaction was different. He simply inclined his head quizzically.

"…You've changed, Kise," he commented blankly.

"Well, it _has_ been three years, maybe four since we last fought," Kise admitted with a shrug, "And I just…after losing...I just want to serve again; like I used to." Midorima scowled and looked away with a touch of distaste.

"Ah, no," he murmured, "…I'm mistaken. You have simply become a fool again."

"So mean, Midorimacchi," the Mirror sighed with a roll of his eyes.

" –We were all like that then," Kuroko reminded Midorima gently, "We all fought because we loved our kingdom and wished to serve and protect it. I still believe in that."

"You were always soft," Midorima scoffed coldly, shaking his head incredulously, "…Fighting to protect is a foolish notion…Fighting only leads to destroying."

"I don't get you guys," Kagami interrupted crossly. This attitude of Midorima's was annoying him. "…War doesn't have to be about destruction. It can be about building something new." He felt three intense sets of eyes on him and shrugged, "…We grow. We become stronger. Who says that something good can't come from something like war?" He scuffed his foot along the ash-covered ground and kicked it up. The plants might be gone, but the earth still remained. Who knew what might grow there someday?

"An idealistic sentiment," Midorima sighed, shaking his head sadly, "Kise…is this all you drew me from the forest for? To reminisce about memories that don't even exist?"

"Yes," Kise replied honestly, "Midorimacchi, Kurokocchi…there has been bad blood between us all for too long…and I don't want it to be like that."

"That's the way it is," the archer murmured, "…Our pasts are too filled with death to erase that blood. Kise, no matter what you wish, you serve Kaijo, I serve Shutoku, and Kuroko serves Seirin. I would ask that you cease bothering me." Kagami bristled at Midorima's attitude.

"He's just trying to make things right!" he exclaimed hotly, spinning to face him, "You don't have to be so fucking cold towards him. What twisted your perception? Who do you think you are?" Instead of answering, Midorima simply cleared his throat and his eyes narrowed.

"…You will see, one day," he remarked coldly, looking off into the distance, "If you continue with this campaign, you will understand."

"Midorima…" Kuroko murmured with a small frown, but was silenced by a glare from the archer.

"If you value your life, you will turn back now," he advised coldly, "Before you meet him."

Suddenly, the night air seemed very cold.

"Him?" Kagami raised an eyebrow, and Midorima nodded. It seemed as though already, Kise and Kuroko knew to whom he was referring to.

"…The Commander known as the Demon," he informed him darkly, "…He fights alongside the soldiers of the Kingdom of Bones; the desert kingdom in the north; a wasteland of nothing but bandits, beasts, blood and endless sand. But make no mistake, he does not serve them." Kagami just stared at him, and detected an air of wariness about the archer; a tenseness that filled the night around them.

"His name is Aomine Daiki, and you would do well to fear him." In the distance, thunder rumbled against the sky.

"…What's so special about him?" Kagami inquired, very intrigued to meet this 'Aomine' who seemed to strike something akin to fear into the heart of such a stern man. If he had've looked across to Kuroko, he would have seen the phantom's expression darken at the mention of such a name.

"…He is very strong," Kuroko muttered, his eyes having widened and his fists clenching at his sides. "…But he is wild, and the way he fights…" He shuddered. "I do not like it." Kagami was stunned to see that this unflappable man was suddenly so unsettled.

"He is…" Kise murmured, his voice suddenly soft and his eyes hazy, "…He is like fire; pure destruction. Nothing can touch him. I assure you…he is like nothing from this world." Midorima shook his head at his tone of awe as Kagami just smirked almost _defiantly_ and shrugged.

"I'm not afraid of him," he declared confidently, "I can't be. There are people relying on me now. Kise, you've seen the state of Seirin…they need change; they need a home that isn't in the Wastelands. We _will_ campaign for the Centre…even if I have to face a hundred of Aomine."

Midorima admired his spirit, but knew that even spirit could be crushed. Shaking his head incredulously, he turned his back to head back for the depths of his forest.

"…Such bold words," he mused, "…But before you make such claims, perhaps focus on surviving _one_." His voice was laced with warning, and he stuck his nose in the air as took a run up towards the nearest thick tree and began clambering up it with ease; hooked palms digging into the bark to help him grip.

"Ah, Midorima-kun?" Kuroko quickly called out as the archer made to head off back towards his Hawk, and the silence of the smoking forest. The Hunter looked back, staring down at the small, pale man some few beneath him –standing in the ashes but looking at him with a small smile in those electric blue eyes.

"…Let's fight again, someday."

And that was when Midorima allowed himself a small, slight smile, as he replied, "…Of course," before leaping off into the forest with his cloak billowing out behind him. Kuroko watched him go with a touch of comradely affection that he had thought died long ago.

"Kise-kun…" he murmured quietly, "…I think about it sometimes, too…what might have happened had we never joined the army or even had there never been a rift between us."

"And what do you see?" Kise inquired curiously.

"…It doesn't matter," he assured him, and Kise looked a little disappointed at not being able to hear his dreams, "But…Midorima-kun is right. We cannot change the past. Whether by his gods or any other, we parted ways and not as friends. This is where we are, we are walking the intended course of our future. But…" he looked up at the sky, and out into the murkiness of the unknown.

"…Here we are, meeting once more."

* * *

"Takao, I know you were listening," Midorima called out, once his once-enemies had disappeared from sight. In moments, Takao was perched precariously on a branch somewhere above him, looking down in curiosity.

"…What can I say, they piqued my interest," he chuckled, swinging down with ease and landing on the same branch as the other archer. "…Is he as you say he is? The Demon?"

"Worse," Midorima murmured quietly, "…He is so much stronger than Kagami can imagine."

"…It was kind of you to warn them, then," Takao assured him with a small smile, laying a hand on his upper arm reassuringly. Midorima didn't shrug him off.

"It will do no good," he scoffed, "That swordsman has more spirit than sense."

"What harm can having spirit do?" his companion remarked, "…I remember a time when even _you_ had –"

"Silence," Midorima interrupted flatly, "Don't be a fool. Without sense, too much spirit will cause the body to be crushed." He looked pointedly at the archer.

"…It's a good thing you're my sense then," he chuckled, "I have enough spirit for the both of us. Because without that, the body will falter."

"I would be best that they falter," Midorima mused, almost sadly, as he glanced back over his shoulder towards the thorny fields, "Before it is too late."

"Have a little faith, Shin-chan," Takao whispered, "You've seen it, yourself; even from the Centre, people _do_ come back from war."

"That, I agree with," he muttered bitterly, laying a hand over Takao's for a moment, but only to remove it from his arm.

"…But I have known of an awful lot more who have not."

* * *

**Midorima has warned Kagami about Aomine the Demon... but will he heed such warnings?**

And I really enjoyed writing these interactions. Kise the Dreamer, perhaps, is what they should call him; but perhaps there really is time for the Commanders to reconcile? Midorima doesn't seem to think so... or is there something else behind his reluctance to believe?

Ahh, I love writing this so much! Hope you enjoyed reading!  
xx K


	10. Encounter with the past

The forest was quiet, and Riko found it unsettling. As she rode along at the head of the force, she could hear the soft thuds of horse's hooves beating on the forest litter, and the gentle clanking of rusty mail, or a sword knocking against a shield. There were murmurs from her men, yes, but only that, because they too were ill at ease amongst the trees.

She couldn't remember how many days ago the fields had turned to forest. They had been following the high stone border of Seiho for weeks until finally, the thorny fields of Shutoku had become light woods. Many of the men had been apprehensive about treading into the trees; not trusting that they would not be ambushed by archers seeking revenge for the burning of their forest. Riko's words had soothed them, but not overly much. Even as she looked back, she could see many of them peering up into the canopy, fearing an attack –though these trees were far too thin for those archers to scale safely.

It had been slow going, their journey through Shutoku, but that was how she had intended it. Too many nights, she had heard some men, who had fought in the burning forest, crying out in terror; screaming of fire, and gagging on imaginary smoke. Those who had been badly burned were struggling to regain the full strength of their bodies, and there were many still healing from earlier battles. And the emotional wounds from the loss of loved ones and friends, not to mention the massacre in Seiho and the nightmare of Midorima's explosions; those were wounds that did not heal as fast as those of the flesh.

All she could do was give them time. So they marched onwards slowly; stopping often to continue with their drills and their sparring; training so hard that by the time night fell, their limbs were weary, and they mercifully slept without dreaming. In truth…she did not know if they were both mentally and physically ready for what they were yet to face.

And so they moved on slowly; cautiously.

Here in these trees, though, they couldn't train, and always the men were on edge. It was difficult pulling wagons through the forest litter, and the ground was rough and for the most part untraveled. At least here, the grass was thin and the air cool. She had heard that the very air amongst the thick trees where their battle had been fought, was heavy and warm.

"Chief!" Izuki called out from up ahead, as he returned from a brief scouting trip. She looked up and drew her horse to a halt, curious as to what he had to say. "We're reached the river. It's wide, but doesn't seem all that deep, and the current is slow. The horses should be able to cross it easily."

"Good," she nodded, "We've almost reached the edge of Shutoku, then." The men would be relieved to hear that the forests were soon to be behind them. Almost five weeks they had been travelling at this slow pace; taking advantage of the fields for training and regaining strength. Soon they would be crossing into unfriendly lands, and she had heard unsettling whispers that there was an enemy kingdom guarding the Centre's west and destroying any force that dared attempt to enter by that road.

"Scout along the banks," she advised, "…See if there's a shallower place to ford. And be careful."

"Of course," Izuki assured turning on his horse and whistling to a couple of his riders to join him.

"Hyuga," Riko hollered, "…Tell the men we're taking a break until we can cross the river. Send Kuroko to me; I want to know if he has any knowledge of the south. And make sure Kagami hasn't wandered off too far again!" Hyuga nodded shortly, letting out a sigh of exasperation with the knowledge that that bloody swordsman had likely gone wandering once more. Marching at the slow pace of the army had apparently not been to his liking, so he'd taken to wandering off ahead sometimes; even if every time he was dragged back by Kuroko to face the wrath of his superiors.

But they understood his restlessness. He had been forbidden from training for a while until his body had healed itself, meaning that all his fight and energy had no outlet. He was a swordsman, first and foremost, and he hated sitting on the side-lines, forced to 'heal' while others crossed swords.

While the men started dismounting from their horses and rested, Riko headed in the direction that Izuki had come from, seeking to see this river for herself. Hyuga, having sent word out for Kuroko, followed suit.

The river wasn't as far as she had thought, which meant that perhaps they were closer to the southern kingdoms than she'd anticipated. Izuki hadn't been lying; the river was very wide, but slow-moving, and didn't appear all that deep. A large tree had toppled across the river; creating a thin, natural bridge. It would have done for a light scouting party to cross there, but it wouldn't do for an entire army of footmen. She hoped Izuki could find a place where the water was thin; it could prove a great inconvenience if all those not mounted had to wade through water.

"What do you think?" Riko inquired of her captain.

"If there's a better place to cross, Izuki will find it," Hyuga replied with confidence. She nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly, to her surprise, caught sight a small bird sitting on a nearby shrub.

"Strange," she commented, pointing it out to him, "…That's the first wildlife we've seen in these woods." She stared at it, wondering if it was native to Shutoku. She'd truly never seen a bird like it before. It seemed used to humans; flitting about lightly in search of fruit. It was a pretty thing; small and white, with a soft pink tail –but it had sly eyes that unsettled her slightly. And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it took off, towards the river.

A few minutes later, Kuroko appeared from the direction of the main forces.

"…Any sign of Kagami?" Riko inquired with a small frown.

"He left hours ago," the quiet man informed her simply, "He was headed southwards; exploring, he said." She cursed in a most unladylike fashion. "Chief, do not fear. He will return."

"Yes, but will it be as a corpse, flung at us by angry archers?" she demanded crossly. He shook his head firmly.

"…I believe that more than hating him, Shutoku finds him intriguing," he explained, "They will not harm him, even if they watch him. He will return, in time." She sighed, trusting his judgement this time but not feeling overly happy about such a strong ally of theirs wandering around in enemy forests. Shutoku had granted them safe passage…but vows and ceasefires had been broken before.

"What was it that you called me for?" Kuroko inquired, as she descended into silence.

"Ah," she remembered suddenly, "…I was wondering how much knowledge you had of the areas around these parts. Our intended course heads southwards, since the westernmost entry to the Centre, I believe may pose a great threat –"

" –Whatever threat it poses is nothing compared to the south," Kuroko immediately replied, his voice a lot colder than she was expecting. She stared in surprise at his tone, and saw that there was no lie in his eyes. "Chief, I know these lands a little…and the south is a perilous place."

"…What could lie in the south that is any worse than what lies in any other direction?" Hyuga queried with a small frown; wondering at the wariness in the phantom's voice…mingled with a touch of fear.

"A storm," Kuroko replied sternly, "The unending storm that swallows up men and spits out their bones, only to grind them into dust." The seriousness in his expression made both Hyuga and Riko incredibly uneasy, mostly because he did not seem to think in any way, that this was an exaggeration.

"…In that case, we will require your guidance through the southwest kingdoms," Riko remarked, not allowing her misgivings to show. She might be unsettled by Kuroko's description of the south, but she must not allow the men to see her nervous. She had to have belief in Seirin, and this army.

"Very well," Kuroko agreed, as his superior's horses began to grow restless with standing at the riverbank. Riko, having decided that seeing the river was enough, and that Izuki would do a suitable job in finding a crossing, headed to turn back to the main forces with Hyuga.

From somewhere in the distance, they heard the merry tinkling of bells.

Instantly, Hyuga was on guard, bow drawn and ready to let loose an arrow at the first sign of movement from across the river. There was nothing; only the soft jingling of those bells in the breeze. Kuroko's eyes widened in confusion and his brow furrowed slightly, shoulders tensing.

"Who goes there?" Hyuga shouted out, but was answered by only the wind.

"Captain…" Kuroko remarked quietly as he headed towards the river, "I will investigate."

"What? No, Kuroko, don't," he snapped back, "We already have one of our allies running wild, we don't need you going off as well."

"I will be fine," he assured him, heading towards the fallen tree and leaping up upon it with light, nimble feet. "Wait here, if you are concerned. I shan't be long." Without waiting to be given permission, he slunk across the natural bridge, barely even off balance despite how slippery it must be. In moments, he had crossed to the other side and was vanishing into the forest.

Without fear, though confused, Kuroko strode through the trees until his comrades on the opposite river bank had faded from sight. When at last, he could see them no more, he paused and pulled his hood back off his face, peering through the green gloom curiously.

"…Momoi-san…I know you're there," he called out in a low murmur. A bird chirped cheerfully in response, and suddenly, a little white bird with a pink tail flitted down from a nearby tree and landed on his hand, as though recognising him. He petted its soft feathers for a moment as he heard those bells again, louder now, and drawing closer.

"Ahh, Tetsu-kun…I never could hide from you," a gentle, feminine voice giggled from somewhere nearby. Kuroko closed his eyes, recognising that voice so well, even if he hadn't heard it in what felt like such a long time.

"The bells, Momoi-san," he replied softly, though she already knew that, "I can always tell they're yours." There was another giggle, and the bird on his finger flitted away, darting around a tree as a pale figure appeared from out behind it.

Time had not altered the beauty of Momoi Satsuki. Her hair was longer than he remembered, still shiny and pale pink, with undying flowers strewn through it. Her cheek rested demurely in one pale, creamy hand as she gazed at him with the same, soft affection that she had always looked upon him with. He had thought perhaps, that after all this time, that look would have faded from her startling pink eyes, but he was wrong.

"I should've realised," she replied gently, and smiled fondly. "You were the one who gave them to me, after all." They stood in silence for a long moment, just watching each other, almost warily. She was the one to break eye contact first, stepping forwards on light, bare feet, and letting the small bird fly off up into the canopy. He suddenly noticed that she was dressed in the garb commonly worn by the gypsies of the deserts; a long turquoise-green skirt and blouse, with sheer, shimmering sleeves that changed colours in the green hue of the forest.

"It's good to see you," she commented, "…Even if it is during your march towards war."

"Momoi-san…what business do you have in these forests?" he inquired firmly, making no attempt to approach her. She shrugged with a sigh.

"…War; what else?" she replied distantly, "Everyone my birds have encountered in these forests has the same purpose. But when I heard talk of _you_…I had to come." She smiled at him again; a smile that reminded him of a time long past. "And I do love the forest here." Leaning against the nearest tree, she sighed and toyed with one of the bronze bangles on her wrists. "…For years, Tetsu-kun, I dreamed of seeing you again; wished that you would suddenly return home and marry me."

"You know that that arrangement was never finalised," Kuroko reminded her.

"A girl can dream, can't she?" she admitted with a wistful sigh. "I have missed you. I'm glad to finally see you."

"It has been a long time," he agreed; a mere statement, not tinged with bitterness.

"Do not misunderstand my distance," she murmured sadly, almost as an explanation, brushing a long lock of pink hair back behind her ear. "…When you left, I wanted to go with you, so very much. Even after the fall, I wanted to find you, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave him..." Her tone was apologetic, but it didn't bother him. She had nothing to be sorry for.

"Where you go and who you follow is none of my business," he reminded her bluntly, "Though I knew your birds would always find me, I never expected to actually see you again. I had heard you serve the Kingdom of Bones, now."

"Indeed," she replied distantly, turning her pink eyes up towards the rustling leaves above. She seemed content in the forest, but he knew it also made her sad to know that she must eventually return to the deserts, "It is an unpleasant place…but wherever he goes, I must go too…to keep him safe. Who knows what he'll do if I don't watch him?" Kuroko nodded in understanding as a chill ran through his body. Distantly, she sighed and shrugged, feigning carelessness that he knew she didn't really feel.

"We heard of your victory against Midorin," she admitted, a smile crossing her face, and a spark lighting up in her eyes. He remembered how she delighted in good news, " –How your kingdom set the thorns ablaze and your swordsman from across the sea chased down the Hunter."

"…His name is Kagami-kun," Kuroko informed her, though she was sure to already know this. Another white bird; a different one, fluttered down from the trees and settled at her feet. Midorima had always worshipped the First Gods, but Momoi, she was of the faith of the Mother. Some said that She came even before the First; that She birthed the world and all the other gods that followed. She was Nature, and her followers delighted in the earth, and all living things. In a world of death, Momoi had found peace in the Goddess of Life. It may have been a natural-born gift, or a blessing of the Mother, but she had always been fond of birds, and in her time in Teiko, had trained her white and pink ones to mimic human speech. They listened all across the land, and reported back to their mistress with news. Of course she had heard of Kagami.

"We will face you soon…" she remarked, "We hold the western border of the Centre now, so fairly soon, our armies will meet. I find it a little strange," She looked up and him, her expression softening, "We fought together as children, and now we will likely destroy each other. It's sad, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

"…From what the birds sing about your Kagami-kun…he fights much like how _he_ used to, am I right?" Kuroko closed his eyes bitterly as he remembered back to the way things had once been.

"…_So very much so_."

* * *

Kagami peered back behind him curiously, wondering when the trees had ended, and plains begun once more. He felt like he'd been walking for hours, but didn't mind in the slightest. The trees were stifling, despite the cool wind that brushed through them, and he was glad to be rid of them. Truly, he probably should've have strayed so far from the main force, but he had no doubt that eventually Kuroko or someone would be sent to find him. He was restless from having been forced to sit and watch others train for so long. His body still ached on occasion, but he was sure he was more than battle ready. The skirmish with Shutoku had really been something, and he couldn't wait for their next encounter.

The burning bodies though, and the screams, he could have done without, but he knew that Shutoku was simply making use of what they had been gifted with. Wars were scarcely fair; he'd known that from the beginning, but only been forced to accept it when he was actually fighting the battles.

He wondered where the rest of his company was. Perhaps they were still headed east. Maybe he should return back to the forest…

But these were the plains of one of the kingdoms of the southwest. He didn't know what it was called –Kuroko might've told him, but he forgot things like that so easily. The air was fresh out here. The ground was dirt, like up in the north, but brown tussocks grew here and there, and there wasn't the dirty taste of ash in the breeze. He wasn't in Shutoku; that was for sure.

Slowly, he drew his sword and held it firmly in one hand. He remembered the flames that licked his clothes and his flesh as he leapt through fire to face Midorima. By some dumb luck, or divine intervention, he hadn't been burned, but he could still feel the heat. That memory made him feel so _alive_.

Experimentally, he tested a few strokes. The blade was how he remembered it; an extension of his arm. After having been forced to merely watch for so long, it felt good to wield a sword again. The sharp blade whistled through the air, carving the very wind itself. He chuckled, facing the forest and laughing at it. Those archers, strong though they might have been; they had fallen, just like any other warrior.

All of a sudden, he felt a shiver run through his body, and had the uncomfortable suspicion that he was being watched. Suddenly wary, he spun around to face the plains. Like before, they were empty, filled only with sporadic tufts of tussock and whirlwinds of kicked up dust.

And then he saw it; a dark shadow, emerging as if from within the dust itself. The wind picked up as though acting as a herald for this stranger. With every slow step he took forwards, the grasses wilted away as if in fear, and Kagami's blood turned to ice.

"Are you the one they call Kagami Taiga?" a deep, sultry voice inquired in a distasteful tone. Kagami's eyes narrowed suspiciously, wondering who this newcomer was to know his name. He squinted against the sun, but all he saw was a flickering shape against the horizon.

"I might be," he called back darkly, "Who's asking?" There was a low, mocking laugh in response; a cold, dangerous sound. He didn't like it, and he didn't like the feeling of unease that had so very suddenly spread through his body. Not daring to look away from the approaching shadow, he continued to stare; watching the dust swirl around him. It was almost as if the earth itself was slowly taking form, as he approached. His shadow was long in the sunlight, yet his face was shrouded, and he showed no fear of the man standing before him holding a broadsword so easily in one hand.

In the blink of an eye, he had materialised, and in front of Kagami, stood a man.

Even as he looked upon him, he knew he was no ordinary man. He was dressed in the garb of a bandit, though he didn't have the airs of one. He wore a simple, dark blue vest, adorned only with gold buttons, hanging open to reveal dark skin and a body rippling from years of fighting. His pants were darker, almost black, and tied with a maroon sash about his waist and his feet were bare; not bothering by the hot dirt of the plain. Wrapped around his head was a blue scarf; tied at the back with a knot, and the ends trailing down and floating in the chill breeze. He looked like a bandit, but Kagami could see that he was anything but. He felt _powerful_.

"Fight me," the newcomer ordered, his voice indicating that he was used to commanding and being obeyed. "…I will test you."

"I don't think so," Kagami replied coolly, meeting the harsh, deep blue gaze of the man he was faced with, "I don't take kindly to being challenged by men who refuse to give me a name." The bandit looked at him with eyes with of dismissive scorn, his lips curling into a sneer. In some world, he might've been a handsome man, but there was ice in his midnight blue eyes, and something toxic in his tone that gave Kagami the chills.

"…I wasn't asking how you feel," he drawled coldly, drawing his own blade from its sheath and holding it loosely in one hand, "…If I say you fight…then you will fight; or you will die where you stand."

The wind howled across the plains, tearing at Kagami's dark clothes and causing his cloak to billow out behind him like an extension of his shadow. The pair of them locked gazes; red meeting blue, and Kagami was suddenly struck with the deadness of stone in the deep eyes staring at him. There was nothing there; no life, no fire; just…boredom and death. How was it possible for a man to have eyes like that?

"But…" the man remarked with an arrogant shrug, "…I suppose you can have my name." He yawned, and cricked his neck dramatically, eyes glinting with arrogance.

"It's…Aomine Daiki."

Kagami's breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened in shock.

_Aomine Daiki_. This was the man they called the Demon.

He didn't look like a Demon, aside from the deathlike stare of his eyes. Kagami suddenly realised that he knew that look; it was the look of a man who had killed a great many people –so many people that he had become numb to it; numb to pain, and numb to the suffering of others. That kind of man was the most dangerous; because he no longer cared…about anything.

"I've heard of you," Kagami remarked defiantly, "…But just because you're one of the Commanders, don't expect me to just bow and agree to what you say when you talk down to me –"

"I wasn't asking your _permission_," Aomine interrupted darkly, his tone growing impatient, "…Shut up and fight me. Perhaps I can kill you now and end these rumours of a swordsman strong enough to challenge us." Anger flared up in Kagami's heart; anger and annoyance at this man being so bold as to underestimate him like this.

"…First there was Kise…" he muttered darkly, tugging off his cloak and testing his sword in his hand, "…Then Midorima…and now I finally meet you. I've got to say…the Commanders really are just a bunch of arrogant bastards." His red eyes glinted up at Aomine with defiance; eyeing the barefoot man who really, looked like nothing more than a common thug.

To many, that was what he would've appeared, but Kagami had fought many men, and he could tell from the curve of this man's body; from the ease with which he held his blade; from the very air around him…that he was dangerous. But this was the kind of danger that Kagami held no fear of. He could already feel the thrill of a fight rushing through his body, and anger at this man being so bold as to _command_ him to fight. Red eyes narrowing, he planted the tip of his sword in the dirt, accepting the challenge.

"So bold," Aomine drawled darkly, "…Don't overestimate yourself. No one expects a real fight from you." He shrugged, as though this were merely a fact, and the casualness with which he was being treated made Kagami's blood boil. "…Let me get one thing straight. I am not fighting you because I believe the rumours. A swordsman stronger than me does not exist. I am here because…" He looked up the length of his blade and sighed, "…Because I am bored –" His dark eyes trailed across to the other swordsman, drinking in the defiance in his gaze and the distasteful curve of his lips.

"…So amuse me. If you can do anything to relieve my boredom…then I might even let you live."

* * *

"How is he?" Kuroko inquired softly, and Momoi shook her head, almost in despair.

"Dark," she whispered, suddenly moving forwards, and wrapping him in a tight hug, burying her face in his neck. He could feel tears brimming in her eyes and patted her back soothingly. "Tetsu-kun, I'm so very worried for him. There is madness in his heart; I can feel it. Some days, I think that maybe he is becoming the demon they think he is."

"…I don't –"

"…You haven't seen him," she whispered, and her voice was filled with ice, "I used to love to see you two fight. _He_ used to love to fight. But now…" She clutched him tightly, as though in fear, "…He has no regard for his own life. Fighting is a chore, and he will turn on anyone who questions him. He is reckless, and no longer cares feels for the death he causes. The men of his own kingdom; the men born of the desert and bred amongst bones, fear him."

"They should," Kuroko murmured, "…Even back then, we all grew to fear what he could become."

"Not you," she reminded him softly; hopefully. "You left, but it wasn't out of fear." They descended into silence, and she pulled away, wiping daintily at her eyes. "He barely listens to even me these days. I'd thought, that maybe…if he should be defeated, then he would remember his own mortality…and change. He would remember that life is precious, and we should respect it; even those that we take. But no one is strong enough to stand against him, and with every one of them that dies, his contempt for the living increases, and the more he believes that no one can touch him." Her gentle hands clenched into fists, and Kuroko's eyes softened at the gesture that showed how helpless she felt.

"I lost you, and the others," she murmured, "I do not want to lose the Aomine-kun that I knew. He may be the all-consuming fire; destruction incarnate, as he had always said he would be…but his heart is cold and turning to stone." She looked up in surprise as Kuroko took a step towards her, eyes full of determination.

"I always told him…that one day, he would meet a man with the strength to defeat him," he informed her, taking her hands gently. "That day will come soon. Kagami-kun is strong, and he still fights with light burning in his heart. Perhaps he can rekindle that spark in Aomine-kun. In any case, I swear to you, that I, and Seirin; we will be the ones to defeat him." Momoi's eyes widened in surprise, and then softened happily.

" –I hope so," she murmured, tugging her hands away from Kuroko, because she knew that those tender touches were intended for her only because of the friendship that they had shared, and not because he wished, or had ever truly wished to wed her. "…Because I do not wish to see him destroy himself."

* * *

Kagami staggered back to his feet, blood dripping from a shallow wound on the side of his face. His hands were shaking and his knees were quaking, and his breath was coming out haggard. Red eyes, still glowing with fierce defiance, turned to stare across at the man standing just out of sword's reach. Aomine had not even broken a sweat, lightly spinning his blade in his hand and shaking his head in disappointment.

_How was he so fast? How was he so _strong_? _Kagami's arms ached from blocking vicious blows. It was all he had been able to do to avoid being skewered. And yet, the bandit stood there as though he were a fly; an annoying bug that he desired only to squash into the dirt; something barely worthy of his time.

"I can't believe that you defeated Midorima," Aomine growled in disgust, tapping the tip of his blade into the ground with a light ring. "…Tetsu's judgement must be so clouded by the ash up in your godforsaken kingdom, for him to believe in a man like _you_." Angrily, Kagami lunged forwards, striking out with his sword at astonishing speed.

Well, it would have been astonishing to any normal swordsman. Aomine, barely blinking, turned the blade aside, one-handed, and as the redhead staggered off balance, reached forwards with a tanned hand, and caught him by the throat. His long fingers gripped at Kagami's windpipe and clenched tight. He coughed and tried to suck in a breath of air but found himself unable to. Every instinct he had told him to drop his sword and claw at the hand at his throat, but he refused to give him the satisfaction.

"You don't understand," Aomine hissed, dragging their faces so close together that their noses were almost touching. Kagami found himself unable to tear his gaze away from that piercing blue stare; lost in the dark depths of those stone cold orbs. "…You can't draw out his potential. You can't make him strong, because _you_ are weak. And you will _never_ defeat me."

But Kagami's eyes remained unwavering, despite his words. If he was going to choke to death here, then he would do it with fire in his eyes and his head held high with pride. He didn't fear to die; didn't fear this man. He knew he should; he knew that such destructive strength should be terrifying, but this is what he had come across the sea to find, and he had known that perhaps, in finding that, he would also find death. Something about such power though...he found entrancing.

And then suddenly, as Aomine stared him down, the fingers gripping his throat loosened, and he was tossed to the ground like some discarded toy. Hacking and desperately seeking air, he clutched the ground, trying to stand once more.

"Tetsu is a fool," Aomine remarked, turning his back on the struggling swordsman, "…Do you know why, they call him the Shadow?"

"…Because…he fights unseen…in the darkness…" Kagami panted back, coughing up a mouthful of blood and not entirely sure why. Aomine scoffed.

"You're a fool too," he snorted, again, simply stating a fact, in that cold, superior tone of his. "They call him the Shadow, because he grows stronger or weaker depending on the light. He chose you to cast his shadow; though I can't see why. With you, he can never be strong."

With those words, Kagami watched Aomine's face contort. He watched as blue eyes seemed to turn to black; watched as that longsword opposing him rose, even as he staggered to his feet. He didn't see him move; barely felt the wind shift. All he saw was a flash of what could only be blue light; bright, blinding blue light, and then suddenly, he felt the point of a blade lightly pierce the back of his neck.

His breath caught in his throat as he felt heat against his ear. Red eyes still wide with shock moved from the empty space in front of him, to see that in that flash; with some inhuman speed, Aomine had moved past his weakened guard, and wound up behind him. Dead blue eyes met his gaze, curled into a narrow scowl, and Kagami felt as though time had stopped. He saw dark lips move, felt his blood run cold, and then registered the words that that icy, mocking voice whispered to him.

"…Your light is too dim…"

And suddenly, blue flashed across his vision, and the world faded into black.

* * *

**And so Kagami meets Aomine, the Demon. Is he truly the monster that the other Commanders feared he would become? Is there any hope for him? Is there any hope for Kagami? **

**Feel free to leave reviews; I love hearing if you're enjoying, or no. Personally, loving writing it, so yeah! Hopefully the next chapter will be up before too long!  
Much love  
xx K**


	11. What once was

**Hi there! I apologise for not having updated in ages, but this is a longer chapter, so I hope that sort of maybe makes up for it! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The sound of bells rang out clearly through the forest. Hyuga looked up across the river with apprehension, having faith in Kuroko but worried that he might have found trouble. A few of his men had gathered with him on the bank; Izuki having returned from scouting further down the river and his report having been put on hold by a concerned look from his captain.

And then, out from the forest emerged what could only be an angel.

She was in flowing gypsy garb of turquoise green, and her hair was long and pink and was blowing gently in the breeze. Kuroko was walking beside her, at ease, though his face seemed somewhat concerned. She lightly leapt up onto the branch that spanned the river's width and skipped across it on dainty toes, each step accompanied by the melodic ringing of playful bells.

The men stood, enchanted by her grace and beauty. Riko's expression soured slightly. Who was this temptress who wandered so freely at Kuroko's side and had suddenly turned her men doe-eyed?

"Tetsu-kun," Momoi murmured quietly as he followed across the log behind her, "I…I am sorry that our meeting must be so sad. Talk of the past always turns dark, doesn't it?" He nodded wordlessly, and she seemed to sense his agreement as she stepped of the log and came face to face with the captain of Seirin's army.

"Who are you?" he inquired darkly, his bow in hand in case she was more dangerous that she appeared.

"Hmm?" Momoi remarked innocently, "Me? How should I put this?" She mused for a moment, oblivious to the captivated, blushing faces of the men around her. "I'm Tetsu-kun's fiancée."

The forested river bank was suddenly overwhelmed with stunned silence.

"I apologise," Kuroko sighed, seeing disbelief written across the faces of his comrades, "This is Momoi Satsuki. She was one of our advisors from Teiko -not my fiancee." That did nothing to lessen the silence; if anything, it added to it.

Riko was well aware that a woman could have as much place in a war as a man could –but even she was a little surprised to see that this dainty little thing was an _advisor_. She had really been a part of Teiko's army? But then she remembered how dangerous it could be to underestimate anyone, and she took another look at the young woman.

She appeared delicate, and gentle, but Riko saw more; she saw a strong woman who had something that she desperately needed to protect. Whether that was her own interest, or a person or her kingdom, she couldn't say, but there was something there that spurred her onwards, and though her eyes were soft, there was a coldness there that Riko recognised. Kuroko had the same look; the look of someone who had lost something precious and feared to lose more.

"I mean no harm, Hyuga, sir," Momoi assured him with a gentle smile, "I had only wanted to see Tetsu-kun. It has been a long time since I have seen him." She turned and looked across at Kuroko, who nodded to her reassuringly, and Riko was struck by the complete and utter adoration in her eyes. Kuroko's _fiancée_? Well, it was evident that she cared for him, but he…his eyes were as expressionless as ever.

"Wait…you know who I am?" Hyuga frowned suspiciously, and she nodded with a small, kind smile as a little white bird settled on her shoulder and chirped brightly.

"Of course," she assured him, "I have learned a great many things of Seirin and its army. You did not think that you could defeat two of my old Commanders without having attracted attention?" She giggled; a sweet sound to hear in such a gloomy forest. "The birds across the land say that in the north, east and west, there are men who whisper the name of Seirin in awe and respect. You have stirred the quiet hearts of many a kingdom."

"What of the south?" Riko inquired curiously, taking a quick glance at Kuroko and seeing his expression darken as it always seemed to do whenever someone spoke of the south. Momoi too, looked decidedly nervous.

"Kingdoms rise and fall all the time," she replied, and her voice was almost _sad_, in a way. "The South does not stir for just any challenger…and it lost its heart long ago." Her pink eyes dulled slightly as she glanced across to Kuroko, who had closed his eyes and had a small, pained frown crossing his pale face. No one understood what she meant, but obviously it held deeper meaning for the two who had once belonged to Teiko. Riko couldn't help but wonder, what aching memories lay in the south, and what could it be to affect Kuroko so greatly, when he always seemed so calm?

Kuroko knew that Riko was watching him; wondering what was on his mind, but he would not answer. The south was a dangerous place, and he hoped that she would have the sense to keep away without asking questions. But, it was not there that his thoughts now rested. His thoughts were not turned to a man with eyes that could both freeze and burn; with a gaze that could stop hearts and haunt dreams.

Instead, he was thinking of what he had promised Momoi.

* * *

_The dusty courtyard was filled with noise and laughter as the children of Teiko chased each other around the training grounds with wooden swords, cheering on their favourites as they ran. They were small still, but growing every day; their thoughts full of the glory of battle and yet also of childish things like stories and a love of life. _

_A slim boy with golden hair was one of the children playing, and toppled to the ground for not the first time; tripped by a rope tugged taut between two opponents. He clattered to the dust with an ungainly thud and sulked there for a moment; his toy sword having flown from his hand. _

_"That's not fair!" he complained aloud, rolling to his feet and brushing some dirt from his cheek, "Kurokocchi, why don't you ever team with me?" He flinched slightly as he felt someone place a condescending pat on his head but then his expression brightened when he realised who it was. _

_"Hard luck, Kise," a thin, tanned boy with deep blue eyes chuckled with a grin that spanned his face and lit up his eyes. "Little lordlings like you aren't made to fight like us." Kise pouted slightly, glaring without ice at the way the little street urchin was dressed; clothes in tatters and feet bare and scuffed. It was quite the contrast with Kise's noble attire –which, at the start of the day had been clean…but he had fallen so many times that he was going to scolded by his mother. _

_"It is really annoying how well you two work together, Mine-chin…" another voice remarked lazily from somewhere nearby. Aomine Daiki just laughed at that sound and lightly bumped fists with the small, pale boy who had been hovering at his side. With that, Aomine scooped up Kise's fallen toy sword and brandished it flamboyantly; playfully seeking a new opponent as he danced across the courtyard on light, swift feet. Kise watched him for a moment, eyes softening as the once street-rat leapt over a stone bench and tripped another three pursuers with the rope that Kuroko had tossed to him. _

_Aomine laughed openly and scampered away as they tumbled to the ground in a mess of limbs. _

_"You know, I don't get it, Tetsu," he chuckled with a bright grin, "…We can never agree on anything else, but we really do fight so well together!" Kuroko nodded in agreement as a small, companionable smile crossed his face. Aomine slung an arm around his shoulder happily and then was forced to leap away as some of their opponents made another vain attempt to defeat them._

_"I wonder why that is, Midorimacchi?" Kise remarked conversationally to the tall boy currently sitting on one of the stone benches, reading a scroll and twirling an arrow between the fingers of his left hand. Midorima looked up disinterestedly and eyed how the other children were gambolling across the courtyard, dusty and bruised and seemingly without a care in the world. Every so often, he would catch sight of a blur in Aomine's wake, like some kind of pale, unseen wisp. _

_"Kuroko is a shadow," Midorima remarked, almost to himself, though Kise listened intently as he dusted off his scuffed boots. He obviously didn't manage to hide his confusion very well because the archer just sighed in exasperation and rolled his green eyes. _

_"…The stronger the light; the darker the shadow," he explained, nodding over to where Aomine had succeeded in pushing one of their fellows into the pond with an expertly timed trip from Kuroko. Kise giggled. "So…fighting alongside someone strong, makes Kuroko all the stronger. Whosoever casts his shadow, determines his strength. And though we can all fight with him…" He trailed off for a moment, shaking his head a little as though he did not like this acknowledgement. _

_"…Aomine is the strongest of us," he admitted. They all knew it to be true; there was no point in denying it. "If he's the one who works best with Kuroko…then he is the one who shines the brightest." _

_Kise considered these words for a moment before Midorima batted him out of his personal space with the feathers of his arrow, and moodily returned to his reading. _

_"Midorimacchi, come play," he begged, ignoring the annoyance in the archer's eyes, "Aominecchi might shine bright, but maybe we can too!" He gave Midorima a brilliant smile, golden eyes lighting up cheerfully in an attempt to drag the serious boy out to the fun of the courtyard. Their peers and their friends were all singing along as Aomine claimed yet another victory and clambered up one of the training grounds' large stone statues –a dragon – to proclaim himself the prince of the courtyard. He laughed and kicked his feet as he smugly sat atop the dragon's nose, hollering out for Kuroko. _

_"Ahh, Tetsu! Come be a prince with me!" _

_Kuroko tried to clamber up the stone dragon's leg the same way that Aomine had, but he was too short and not quite strong enough for it. But he tried again, and this time, felt a strong hand grip his and tug him up to rest on the statue's back. Aomine looked down at him with lively, deep eyes, with a pearly smile dancing across his face. He brushed his unruly midnight-blue hair back and chuckled as Kuroko clung to the dragon's neck. _

_"One day we'll be princes, won't we, Tetsu?" Aomine grinned wistfully, looking up at the sky and staring off into the clouds as though seeing some future that Kuroko had yet to imagine, "I'll be the greatest prince there ever was, and I'll have a dragon just like this one; a big dragon with so much fire that when we fly, we burn the sky!" He chuckled to himself and lay back against the dragon's nose. _

_"Aomine-kun, dragons don't exist anymore," Kuroko reminded him, but couldn't help but smile at the look on his friend's face at the thoughts of such grandeur and majesty –and the idea of writing his name in the sky with fire. _

_"I'll find one," he assured him, deadly serious, "A _real_ prince has a dragon." _

_"…Teiko's prince doesn't have a dragon," Kuroko pointed out, "And _real_ princes kill the dragons, remember? In all the stories, they kill the dragons." _

_"I never understood that," Aomine admitted with a sigh, simply enjoying staring up at the clouds and basking in the warmth of the day. "They'd be so beautiful and powerful, don't you think? Like fire, given form!" _

_"It would eat you," Kuroko deadpanned and Aomine glared at him rather crossly for doubting his dragon-taming abilities. _

_"Never," he snorted, "I would tame it! And we would rule the world!" Kuroko just hugged the neck of the stone dragon and sighed at yet another of Aomine's wild dreams. He never grew tired of dreaming, and he had always had a fascination with the stories of fire; its wildness and beauty excited him. No wonder he delighted in the idea of flying atop a dragon; the living embodiment of such power. _

_But Kuroko knew that even Aomine had forgotten…_

_"You cannot tame fire…"_

Those words echoed through his mind and he clenched his fists at the memory. _You cannot tame fire_. That was what he had said to Aomine, when he had been enough of a child to dream still…and all of them had eventually learned how very true those words would come to be.

He had promised Momoi that he would defeat Aomine, and he must not seek to tame him. There were so many stories warning against it; warning that fire was a cruel, cruel thing that indiscriminately destroyed, and he had seen first-hand what devastation rampant fire could wreak.

But he would stop Aomine. He had to. Perhaps there was still a chance that the old Aomine was somewhere in that cold husk that he had become. Perhaps somewhere, there was still warmth in those flames.

* * *

Night had almost fallen and the men were still uncomfortable in the quiet. The evening air felt thick and dead, with no sounds of insects and nothing seeming to be alive amongst the trees. Other than the eerie rustling of leaves in the humid breeze, there seemed to be no noise from the camp's surroundings.

And then slowly, in the distance, there came the sound of horse's hooves thudding softly against the forest litter. As it grew closer to the sentries, it became obvious that the animal posed no threat. Actually, even the figure riding atop it seemed no threat, due to the fact that the man was slung haphazardly in the saddle; practically tied in place –completely unconscious.

When the horse and its motionless baggage were brought before the Captain, Hyuga had nothing to say, because Kagami Taiga was apparently in such a state that even yelling would not have woken him.

"I told you he would return," Kuroko remarked conversationally, and Hyuga gritted his teeth angrily as Kagami promptly tumbled off the horse and landed in a most ungainly heap on the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?" he hissed aggressively, jabbing a finger at the unconscious swordsman, "You said he'd come back, Kuroko, but in this condition? What _happened_? He looks _awful_!"

"I believe it is possible that he ran into some trouble," Kuroko replied, stating the absolute obvious. Kagami was blood-stained and bruised, and appeared to have relatively deep cuts across his body, though none were likely to prove fatal. His breathing was steady, and he was covered in dirt, and no one could fathom how he had managed to get into such condition.

" –What's this?" Izuki inquired with a small frown, wandering over and helping to lay Kagami out into a more comfortable position. He picked up a long, green-fletched arrow and his blood ran cold as the men around them recoiled. They all recognised that monstrous arrow; it was difficult not to.

"Midorima-kun?" Kuroko frowned, stepping forwards and taking the shaft from Izuki's possession. There were no traces of blood on it, and Kagami had obviously escaped a skewering, so it was unlikely that Midorima was responsible for the swordsman's condition. It only took a glance to discover that there was a note fastened to the arrow. A little confused, Kuroko unrolled the parchment and read the small note that had been scrawled in the familiar handwriting of the archer.

_He did not heed my warning. I owe him nothing more._

For some reason, the words filled Kuroko with a terrible sense of foreboding. He looked down at the bloodied tears in Kagami's clothing and saw the deep scratches. He had obviously been fighting a swordsman.

"Captain?" he murmured quietly, as Hyuga mutinously growled curses to Riko about Shutoku and whether or not they should take this as a warning or a challenge. "Do not fear Shutoku. They have no involvement with this."

" –Kuroko, that is their champion's arrow," he growled darkly, jabbing a finger at the wicked shaft, "How can you tell me they weren't involved?" Kuroko shook his head and held out the small note.

"Midorima-kun only sent the arrow to confirm his identity," he assured him, "I believe that he actually saved Kagami-kun's life today. He therefore wishes Kagami-kun to know that he has repaid him for sparing him in the burning forest." Hyuga appeared sceptical of this explanation and his expression darkened.

"Captain, if they wanted Kagami-kun dead, then they would have sent his head," Kuroko added, and this at least was enough to make Hyuga stop and think. That did make sense. If Shutoku really bore such a grudge, they would have taken the opportunity to kill the swordsman –but here was Kagami, admittedly unconscious, but still alive.

"…If that is the case…" Hyuga remarked hesitantly, "Who was Kagami fighting? And there aren't any cities this close to the southern border of Shutoku; the forest isn't dense enough. How was it that Kagami came to be found by Midorima?"

* * *

Takao had asked questions, but hadn't really had any hope of receiving answers. He had wondered aloud many times why Midorima had informed their captain that they would be going on an excursion to the south of Shutoku. Otsubo had hardly been pleased to hear that their finest archer intended to wander so soon after such an embarrassing defeat, but their Battlemaster had apparently seen some strange glint in the Hunter's eyes that had caused him to grant this one selfish act.

Despite what Midorima might say, the Hawk knew that this journey was not so much to do with the desire to leave the confines of the cities, as his companion had said, but rather, had everything to do with the army of Seirin, and a swordsman named Kagami. He understood what the Battlemaster had said –there was something different about the archer these days.

So it did not come to much of a surprise to him when eventually, they had crossed paths with the swordsman himself.

It was not so much of a crossing of paths as the pair of them catching sight of his violent red hair in the gloom of the forest as he wandered alone, away from the army. Takao had to wonder why he was allowed to roam so free, especially when he seemed so itching for excitement –but he had said nothing. He watched Midorima's eyes fix curiously on this man, and knew that they were going to follow him.

He'd lost track of how many times they had watched Kagami leave his camp and journey in any direction; sometimes leaving his main force for hours at a time. Each time, he wandered further; not caring where he was headed or if he was in any kind of danger.

And then, earlier that day, he had reached the plains of the south-western kingdoms, and Takao had seen something that had left him feeling cold and shaking. He had seen the monster of monsters; looked upon a swordsman and seen not a man, but a demon in the guise of a human. He was not a superstitious or religious man, and he didn't scare easily, but there was definitely something otherworldly; something dangerous and inhuman about the man called Aomine Daiki.

Midorima had felt it too. He had felt it long before they had tailed Kagami to the plains, though it had been but a mere cold feeling of unease set off by the appearance of unusual numbers of small white birds with pink tail feathers. Such a feeling would usually have never caused him to take action, but one evening, Takao had been tending to one of the small fires that kept the night watch warm, and told Midorima of how when he tossed a log onto the fire, instead of burning, the flames had gone out. Upon inspection, he discovered that what he thought to be a piece of wood, was instead a bone, and had extinguished the fire.

And Midorima had known.

He had felt the day grow cold; seen the shadows lengthen across the plain and seen a man emerge from the horizon like a shadow rising from the underworld. Aomine had been terrifying when they were younger, and time had done nothing but melt away the warmth from his eyes. Even as he and Takao watched the two swordsmen approach each other, from the safety of the trees, he could feel the very air become cold with dread and thick with the aura of death.

They had watched, both spellbound and horrified, as Kagami discovered how truly monstrous the Commanders of Miracles truly were. Midorima could barely watch; unable to believe that he had been defeated by a man, who next to Aomine, looked utterly pathetic. There was nothing that Kagami could do. The Demon was toying with him; mocking him and his strength and all that he believed in.

There was no comparing their skill levels. Aomine was a different class of swordsman entirely. He was so strong he barely seemed human; so numb to the pain of others and himself that living things had ceased to matter to him. There was boredom and disgust in his eyes; contempt for the weak and a hatred of those who thought they could oppose him. And Midorima had watched him eye Kagami with those cold, dead eyes, and he remembered.

He remembered back to a night; many nights, in fact, where the children would all be sitting around one of the fires and ask for a story. They truly had loved their stories. It didn't matter who told them; usually it was Momoi or one of the nurses or nannies or sometimes even one of the other children; Kise knew many stories from his noble upbringing –but they loved hearing them.

Aomine included.

Sometimes he would tell them; though only a select few. There was one that every child, and probably almost every soldier in the army had heard at least once; and so many that probably knew it by heart; having been forced to listen to such a story innumerable times at Aomine's request. It was often at night, when the fires were blazing and the children were gathered with their suppers, that he would ask, and though everyone protested at hearing the same story all the time, they all secretly loved hearing it.

_The man who fell in love with fire._

That was Aomine's favourite story. And when he was young and full of joy, he would pull out his sword and do battle with the fire; his blade passing harmlessly through the flames and making the metal glow red. He would dance around it, trying to defeat it, and always failing. On the night that Midorima was remembering, Aomine had been bravely facing the flames, and fallen in. He had badly burned his arm, but only laughed when Kise and Kuroko had dragged him free.

"_Stupid Aomine-kun!_" Momoi had said, "_You're just going to hurt yourself! You can't win against fire like that!" _And he had laughed, even as he gritted his teeth in pain at the burn, and his blue eyes had turned to the fire with as much awe and wonder as he always looked into the flames with.

"_Exactly_," he whispered, in a voice filled with youthful excitement, "_You'll see! I'm going to become the fire! I'll be that destruction, and as unstoppable as the flames; and just like in the story, men and women will try to tame me, but no one ever will!"_ And they had all laughed, and so had he, because they were children and it was a silly thing to say, back then.

Midorima bitterly remembered that he may have chuckled along with them. Anyone left alive who remembered those words could not recall them without an overpowering sense of bitterness. Aomine had become the fire; he had become the devastating destruction; the untameable force that devoured everything it touched. He answered to no one and burned and laid waste to the living until they were nothing but ashes.

But fire had never been so cold.

Midorima had found himself stringing an arrow.

_I'm not afraid of him_.

That was what Kagami had said, and the archer could see that those words had been no lie. Kagami was valiant and stupid, traits that Midorima hated to see in the same man; but the way that he faced his own demise was admirable, and how he himself had been prepared to die.

Was it that, or something else that made him draw back that arrow? Midorima believed that the Gods sent messages to those who would listen, and that it was up to those loyal followers to decipher their signs and warnings. Most men would have brushed off such an incident with the fire without a care, but Takao had a restless tongue sometimes, and a curious nature, and much to Midorima's dismay, would often recount his entire day in great detail as they ate.

The Wheel of Fate was turning; that much, he knew, and he chose to believe that he had been sent here not to witness the fall of yet another mere man; but to save one.

Aomine had moved so fast that even Takao's hawk eyes could have sworn for a moment, he simply vanished. Then, all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, he was at Kagami's back, tip of his blade pressed to the back of the redhead's neck. Midorima saw his lips move; knew that those blue eyes of his would be stony and cold. What would he whisper to Kagami for the last cruel words he would ever hear?

"Shin-chan!" Takao hissed in horror, recoiling back against the tree trunk as Midorima's monstrous arrow tore through the air with a twang and sped towards Aomine with deadly intent. There was a moment there, where the Hawk truly believed that that arrow would connect; would strike Aomine through the heart and end the Demon.

Time seemed to move strangely, in that moment. The arrow was too slow, and Aomine too fast. Midorima saw Aomine's attention shift; knew that he had heard the snapping of a bowstring and recognised the sound of a shaft speeding towards him. With a single, mighty swing of his sword, Aomine drove the hilt down against Kagami's skull, and batted away the arrow with the flat of the blade.

Midorima cursed under his breath, watching as Kagami toppled to the ground, completely lifeless. It was as he fell, that Aomine turned to face the forest.

"Midorima."

He hesitated.

"There's no use in hiding," Aomine drawled, swinging his sword casually, though his tone betrayed his annoyance at being interrupted, "Come out from those trees before I lose my patience."

Midorima did not take kindly to being ordered around by the likes of his old comrade, but better to humour him for the meantime. Slowly, he leapt down from the trees, carrying his bow, and crossed onto the plains.

The air was cold, and his blood was chilled with the ice of death that seemed to cling to Aomine's very presence, as though he sucked the life from the atmosphere around him.

For a moment, the pair of them just stood there on the plains, watching each other. Aomine cocked his head with a yawn, and Midorima eyed him coolly. Once, they had stood as allies, and now, the Hunter wore the drab forest garb and dark cloak of Shutoku, and the Demon wore the scant but still somewhat entrancing attire of a gypsy bandit.

"Aomine," Midorima greeted coldly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Aomine remarked darkly.

" –Spare the man," he demanded bluntly. This caused the swordsman to raise an eyebrow sceptically.

"Don't tell me what to do," he warned flatly, glancing over his shoulder at the defeated redhead. "Why? You must think far too much of our old friendship to greet me with an arrow and start making _demands_."

"Spare him," Midorima repeated, more firmly this time. This made Aomine's eyes narrow suspiciously, "And we both know that there was little _friendship_ between us."

" –True," Aomine yawned icily, "…Though I admit I thought you'd try and use that to convince me to free him." He shrugged dismissively, "…Then again; that never was your style."

"Or any of ours," Midorima reminded him, eyes still meeting the cold blue gaze of the swordsman before him, and seeing nothing lying in there but ice and boredom and blood. He didn't bother saying anything more; words tended to be useless when it came to Aomine. All he could do now was hold his gaze, stand his ground, and hope that there were gods out there that truly did favour Kagami Taiga.

"…How amusing…" Aomine finally remarked, and Midorima's eyes narrowed; unsure of whether or not the unpredictable swordsman was going to take his request seriously or not. The Demon turned his back, and wandered over to Kagami's motionless figure, blade tilting his chin to examine his face for a moment.

"You, of all people…begging for the life of one man."

"I do not beg."

" –Strange, Midorima. I didn't think you were still capable of surprising me." He looked down at Kagami again, and looked as though he was considering stomping on his head. But then, apparently having decided that he didn't want to bloody his feet more than necessary, thought better of it.

"Take him." Midorima physically froze; not sure if he'd heard correctly. Aomine gave a disgruntled growl and turned away. "I don't like repeating myself. Take him and leave. You've got me interested, Midorima. You and Tetsu." His tone was scornful, and he sneered down at Kagami, scuffing dust into his bright hair as though kicking out a dying fire. "Though...he's pathetic, really." The wind grew colder again, and Midorima wondered if there was some cruel god out there that favoured Aomine himself; some dark force that fed his malice.

"I hope you're there when I kill him, Midorima," Aomine growled, in a tone that finally made Midorima look away; unable to bear the malevolence in that voice. But he knew without looking that Aomine had sidestepped Kagami's unconscious body and intended to leave –whether out towards the plains, or wherever, he didn't know.

"…Because I won't make it quick," he added, his voice emotionless, "…Not like how I was going to. And when you see what kind of death you sentenced him to, it will maybe make it all the more satisfying to crush you too."

And like some wraith, Aomine Daiki vanished off into the wind, leaving Midorima standing there alone for what felt like an eternity. How could there be so much ice in just one man?

_I'll be that destruction, and as unstoppable as the flames…_

Strangely, Midorima felt a tear roll down his cheek as he heard the sound of a horse slowly coming up behind him. What was this; this foreign ache? Who was he to shed a tear for a man he barely knew; an enemy, no less. Or was that tear for Aomine? That made even less sense. They had been children together; shared some kind of bond long ago, he supposed, but it had been a long time –almost ten years, since there had been any kind of friendship between them.

Despite time passing, though, he could still remember vividly what they had all once been.

"Do not worry, Shin-chan," Takao remarked kindly, laying a gentle hand on his elbow as he watched Midorima turn away to hide his tears. "Weep." There was no playful mockery in his voice this time, "…To mourn over what once was proves your humanity." He rested his cheek against the archer's arm and smiled when Midorima did not brush him off. After a moment of the comforting contact, Takao led the horse towards Kagami to begin hoisting him into the saddle. Midorima could see the curiosity in his eyes, but was thankful that he did not say anything. He thought to himself how defenceless the man was now; completely at his mercy. If he wished, he could finish now what Aomine had started; as payment for that defeat as his forest burned.

But he had not faced Aomine for that; an action that had been harder than he anticipated. He was sure now, that this was the will of the Gods. Even Aomine was only a pawn in their plan; he was not a merciful man, and yet Midorima himself had witnessed him spare a man's life.

It had to be divine intervention. They wished Kagami Taiga to fight again, and Midorima followed the Gods and believed in their design.

* * *

"Kagami-kun."

Kagami looked across to the entrance of his tent to find that Kuroko had managed to slip in without him noticing. There was something akin to worry in the smaller man's eyes, and he immediately felt guilty.

"What happened?" Kuroko inquired flatly, "…You've been unconscious for three days, Kagami-kun. We were beginning to wonder if you'd ever wake."

"I…sorry for worrying you," Kagami replied quietly, unsure why he was feeling so scolded, "How did I get here? That last thing I remember, I was…" He trailed off slightly, remembering that sudden blinding flash of blue light, and the thick voice of something dark and cold. He shivered a little, but his blood felt hotter than ever. The mere memory of what it was like to fight against Aomine dulled the pain of the blow to his head, and lit up his entire body with vigour.

"Midorima-kun saved your life," Kuroko answered, " –Though none of us know what exactly it was that he saved you from." Kagami fell silent for a moment, wondering at why and _how_ the archer had managed to intervene. He had seen his own death on those plains; and expected to die.

"…I fought him," he muttered, finding his voice unusually grave. "I fought him, and I should've died."

"…Aomine-kun?" Kuroko whispered, though the answer was already obvious. Kagami nodded wordlessly and Kuroko fell into a similar silence. Of course Aomine would have been close, since Momoi had made an appearance. But for the Demon to hunt out a man and seek to fight him...and spare him, no less…

"Kuroko?" Kagami finally inquired curiously, sitting up on his bed and holding his aching head, "…I…from what I gathered…he used to be your light. Right?" The other man nodded slowly and took a seat on a nearby trunk, watching the redhead in interest. "…You two were partners, weren't you?"

Again, Kuroko nodded.

"What happened?"

Kuroko let out a long breath, a sad frown crossing his face as he looked down at his hands.

What _had_ happened to them? What had happened to them all?

* * *

_"Waah! Aominecchi! Again, again!" Kise exploded in a whine as he was unceremoniously disarmed and tripped into the dirt for the umpteenth time that day. He picked himself up immediately, his bright blonde hair full of mud and dust and his noble's clothing ripped and torn and slightly bloodied. But despite his ragged appearance now, his eyes were fierce and determined. The boy opposite him raised an eyebrow and laughed slightly. _

_"…That's enough, isn't it, Kise?" Aomine sighed with a small smile, running a hand back through his short hair. The pair of them were both sweating in the midday Teiko sun, but there was competition in their hearts that washed away the fatigue from their limbs. _

_"No, no!" Kise assured him, grabbing his sword from the dirt, "You're so good! I'm not going to stop until I can beat you!" Aomine laughed at that, leaping forwards without warning and restarting the fight. _

_"You're years away from that!" he smirked, "…But you're not bad…for a beginner…" _

_At the edge of the training ring, Momoi stood with her chin rested delicately in the palm of her hand. Her eyes were filled with a fondness for the young, tanned boy fighting against the blonde, and she smiled to see him with such life in his heart. _

_"What do you think?" the Battlemaster inquired of her, knowing that she was an excellent judge of strength. "Kise is doing well, isn't he?" _

_"Indeed," she agreed. _

_" –He may even have more potential than Aomine," he mused thoughtfully, mulling over this possibility. Momoi giggled to herself and shook her head with a soft smile. _

_"Ahh, you say that," she commented lightly, "But I think you are mistaken. Kise-kun is a quick learner, yes…but Aomine-kun…" She nodded over to him, drinking in that brilliant smile he was wearing as he fought against Kise and knocked the blonde to the ground once more. "…He loves to fight more than anyone –loves it more than anything in the world." The Battlemaster followed her line of sight as Aomine, having defeated Kise once more, gestured for a couple more of the elder soldiers to join them. He was much younger than them, but his reputation was well known, and they were eager to test themselves against him. _

_As he always did, he took them down, grinning as he fought. _

_"Moving with a sword is as natural as breathing, to him," she murmured fondly, "He's had a blade in his hand ever since he was a child; fighting those bigger than him in the streets, because he didn't have parents to protect him." She giggled to herself, "My father has always been a blacksmith, you see, even before we came to the castle. Aomine-kun used to steal his blades, and sometimes he sat outside my window and listened to my nanny tell me stories. When my father finally caught him stealing…he was so impressed with the way the child fought off the guards that he welcomed him into the family." She sighed happily and looked up at the Battlemaster, who seemed unsure of why she was telling him this. "…When I came to the castle to be a lady, Aomine-kun came too. He was an urchin; a poor street-boy, and yet he can outfight any soldier brave enough to challenge him. There is nothing more natural to him than fighting."_

Kuroko had heard the story, though at the time Momoi had not been aware of his presence. He agreed with her. Nothing Aomine did was as beautiful or as passionate as when he fought; at least back then. For much of his young life; his childhood, it had been all he had in the world, and he loved it.

"None of the Five started off as monsters," he finally began quietly, trying to collect his thoughts and explain to Kagami, "…They were…we were all just children –but strong. Slowly, it became obvious that they were difficult to stop." He paused and his expression became sad. Kagami stared at him rather curiously.

"…And then they bloomed; Aomine the first, and most suddenly of all."

"…_Bloomed_?" Kagami echoed in confusion, but was halted in further questioning by the genuinely despairing look on Kuroko's face at the memory of what had happened.

"He grew too strong, too quickly," he whispered, "We were just fifteen; still children, even; but suddenly, Aomine's strength grew –his speed, his skill –everything grew exponentially. He was absolutely _unstoppable_." Kuroko tried to not let the fear and bitterness seep into his voice, but his fists clenched and he found himself shaking slightly.

It had been terrifying to see –none more terrified than Aomine, it seemed. At first, he relished it; victory was exciting, and the knowledge of his own strength made him happy. But then, slowly, the smiles had faded and the joy flickered out from his eyes. He stopped training with the troops; taking to going off alone and lazing around –sending back wounded messengers whenever someone tried to get him to train.

_"Aomine-kun…you didn't come to training today," Kuroko remarked with a small frown one evening as he and Aomine strolled through the camp after having pilfered sweet pies from the saddlebags of one of their comrades. There would be hell to pay when the incurable sweet-tooth found out, but for the meantime they were safe. _

_"…So…?" Aomine queried flatly, munching on one of the pastries, "…If I train…I'll just improve, and, well…" He yawned, "…The more I try…the more boring it becomes to fight." Kuroko felt a small sense of unease brewing in his gut, but tried to squash it down. Aomine looked up at the red sunset and sighed to himself. _

_"Tetsu…" he muttered, "…What's missing?" _

_Kuroko knew that Aomine already knew, just like how he knew, what was truly missing. _

_" –Midorimacchi, did you see how amazing Aominecchi was today?" Kise exclaimed in wonder, tagging along behind Midorima as the archer wandered towards his tent with a scroll in hand –determined to spend some time away from the nuisance of a blonde. Midorima glared at Kise to try and encourage him to depart, but he was obviously caught up in his hero worship, and was oblivious to such a glare. _

_"He took them down so easily!" he gushed, "Did you see how fast he was? All of those veterans we were fighting against, he practically defeated them by himself!" He sighed happily, gold eyes glinting playfully. "…Imagine having skills like those! He must be having so much fun!" At this, Midorima frowned, shaking his head at Kise's stupidity. _

_"No," he disagreed quietly, "I believe it is just the opposite." _

_"Huh? What do you mean?" Kise inquired curiously, always intrigued by Midorima's insight. _

_"…Aomine loves fighting more than anyone I know," he replied coolly, "To fight has been all he's ever wanted in life…but now…I know there is something he desperately desires above all else." Kise blinked those big, innocent golden eyes at him._

_"…A rival who can stand as his equal."_

_Midorima watched Kise's face fall slightly, as he understood that that man would never be him. He was not a cruel boy, and therefore felt no pleasure in the sadness in Kise's eyes –but the blonde needed to hear such a thing. All he seemed to desire was to be acknowledged by Aomine…but he wasn't strong enough. _

_"…He won't find one, though," the archer added quietly, "Not when his strength far outclasses all others. He is too strong." And Kise nodded, because it was true, and even at such a young age, no one could stand against him. _

_"…I don't even think I'll be needed in battle," Aomine yawned, heading towards one of the campfires to warm himself in the evening air. "…And I might even start going into duels unarmed…maybe that will make things more interesting, if there's only one sword between us…" _

_"You can't do that," Kuroko immediately informed him flatly, sticking out a foot suddenly, so that the boy stumbled ungainly and tumbled to the ground into the dirt. Aomine let out a wail of complaint as he rolled over and saw Kuroko glaring down at him from above; arms folded crossly. _

_"…Aomine-kun, you may be so much stronger than me," he sniffed, "…And I might be so very far behind the rest of you in skill and strength…so I can't say I know how you feel…but…" He shook his head disapprovingly, "…If I was your opponent, I would hate to be mocked like that." Aomine's eyes softened for a moment; seeing the annoyance in his shadow's eyes and feeling a little scolded. _

_"Besides…" he added with a small smile, sticking out a hand to help him to his feet, "…I'm sure it won't be too long before you find someone more amazing than yourself." _

_"Tch," Aomine scoffed, though he was chuckling as the pair of them headed over to the fire. He looked across at him and smiled slightly. "…You're right, I suppose. As usual."_

* * *

"Kagami-kun, do you know the story called '_The man who fell in love with fire'_?" Kuroko asked softly. Kagami stared at him for a long moment and then slowly shook his head. "…It was Aomine-kun's favourite story when we were younger."

"…I see…" It was obvious that he didn't.

"There was once a merchant," Kuroko informed him, to give him the brief version of the story, "He loved all things with beauty. He had a mansion, gold and jewels and rare trinkets and plants. He had collected so many beautiful things in the world apart from one thing. He had never found a woman he loved enough to make his wife." Kagami stared in astonishment. Why was Kuroko telling him a story like this?

"He went out and searched across the land, seeking the most beautiful woman he could find," Kuroko continued, remembering the way that Aomine had told this story. He had told of all the different places the merchant went; all the women he found and what they looked like –only for the merchant to decide that they were not the most beautiful. Aomine had embellished the story so very much, because he loved it. "He thought he would never find it. He had many beautiful things –" Aomine had always named dozens of the beautiful things, and described them in elaborate detail.

" –But no woman. And then one day, he saw what he believed to be the most beautiful thing in the world –something that no other thing could compare to," Kuroko murmured, "He found fire. He watched it swallow up a city; watched the red and gold and orange flames eat up the night sky and saw it dancing merrily. He was captivated by it."

_"It flickered with light unlike anything he'd ever seen," Aomine exclaimed boldly; his audience caught by the intensity of his words, "It was wildness given form; the way it moved and was such beautiful destruction made his heart weak with fear and awe._"

"Put simply, he fell in love and tried to tame it," Kuroko continued, Kagami himself appearing rather intrigued by this story. Oh, he probably would have loved to hear Aomine tell this story. Kuroko knew he could do it no justice. He was no storyteller, and had no special love for this particular tale. "…He tried to hold it; tried to keep it chained. He could not do it. This fire was too hot –it burned him and it melted the chains; it demanded so much wood and flesh to live, and yet when it was displeased it spat smoke and sparks at him. The fire destroyed his collection of beautiful things, and yet he did not care –because fire was the most beautiful of them all, and he loved it too much. It ran wild across the world; destroying and lighting up the sky wherever it blazed –and men and women alike found it beautiful and tried to tame it…but anyone who tried to embrace it was turned to ash. And finally, when the merchant had realised that the fire was untameable and would consume anything that tried to come close, he had nothing left but his love for it."

"…What a depressing story," Kagami remarked flatly.

"It was his favourite," Kuroko replied with a shrug.

"Why did you tell me?" Kagami frowned.

"…Because when we were younger, he said he would become the fire," he whispered sadly, "He decided that he would be that fire that consumed any that tried to come close; the fire that wreaked havoc upon the world and that all would desire but none could touch." He closed his eyes softly. "…And when he truly became the Demon…he became that fire."

That was when Kuroko told Kagami about _that_ battle; the one that had decided Aomine's descent into darkness; the one that had left Kuroko a shadow without a light. It had been before they took the Centre, and Aomine had been excited for the first time in what seemed like forever. The impending attack was on a terrifying army from the south that had been amassing for a long time. They were an army renowned for their discipline and their unshakeable hearts.

…But before the might of Aomine the Demon, they quaked. They baulked; they cried for mercy and they fled. Aomine had been fighting, grinning in the hopes of finding soldiers worthy of his time; excited to face men who wouldn't fear him; someone who could fill his limbs with the fire of the fight.

Instead, all he came across was a sea of living corpses.

Those men, upon seeing him, had lost the light in their eyes; they had all already given up. Some were crying. Some fell to their knees and waited to die. They knew that they were going to be destroyed, and had lost all will to fight.

Something had snapped inside Aomine right then. Kuroko had seen it; he had watched that flicker of fire in his eyes wither and die. That was the fight that his gaze had turned to stone; the battle where the old Aomine had died inside.

"Is this what happens…when I try…just a little?" he had whispered to himself as he slew –because it was no longer a fight; it was a massacre. There was rage in his eyes then –a rage that Kuroko had hated to see, and something that had caused an ache in his heart. "…If I try…they just give up. They aren't even trying to save themselves..." And then after that rage came the cold; like the terrible quiet of death after a vicious storm.

"Fine," Aomine had said, his gaze cold and disinterested as Kuroko held out a fist to him; hoping and praying that he would return it –and that such a gesture might speak volumes to the lively Aomine buried deep within.

"…If they are so ready to die, then they will all die." And he had turned his back on Kuroko; walking down a dark road where he could not follow.

"Tetsu…this is the all-consuming fire. This is the fire that will turn the world to ash," he said flatly; in the voice of one who vehemently believes that they are speaking the truth; someone resigned to their fate. "I will never find what I seek_. The only one who can beat me is me_."

"After that fight," Kuroko continued, his voice having grown quieter, "…The others slowly began to change. They deserted the comradeship we once had; and not long after, we took the Centre. It was the beginning of the end. Aomine had become the Demon that the men had so named him…and eventually, I left. I couldn't stand to see what he had become; what they had all become…and he didn't need me. None of them did."

There was quiet for a long moment, as Kagami mulled over what he had been told.

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" he growled mutinously, thinking back to those hollow, dead eyes and his hands clenching into fists, "…Fire can be stamped out. He'll see. Next time…" He looked across at Kuroko until the phantom looked up at him. Kuroko was a little stunned to see the courage and determination in those red eyes so soon after such a defeat. It lifted his spirits and caused hope to rise in his chest once more.

"Next time…I will stamp out that _all-consuming fire_, and he'll be the one turned to ash."

* * *

**A flashback or two; a bit of backstory...The current Aomine scares me a little, but I love how Midorima is turning out, and his relationship with Takao. **

**Hope you liked, leave a review if you want? I promise the next update won't take quite so long! **

**Much love,  
xx K**


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